U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday has sentenced Lennard Rashard Monroe, 32, of Tampa, to 20 years in federal prison for possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute it and for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Monroe’s co-conspirator, Justin Latrun Farrior, has been previously sentenced to 4 years and 2 months in federal prison.
Court documents and statements reveal that Monroe and Farrior were operating out of a “trap house” in the Sulphur Springs neighborhood of Tampa. Using a confidential source, the Tampa Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Drug Enforcement Administration arranged a cocaine purchase from the duo. Upon executing a search warrant at the trap house, agents discovered Monroe asleep in a bedroom with his two-year-old son. The search revealed a kilogram of cocaine, three firearms, and over $18,000 in cash.
The case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David P. Sullivan and Suzanne C. Nebesky.