Florida Man Sentenced to Six Years for Transporting Narcotics on a Memphis Bound Airplane

Memphis, TN – Rashid James-Wooten, 29, formerly of Florida, has been sentenced to 72 months in 
federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. United States Attorney Kevin R. 
Ritz announced the sentence today.

According to United States Attorney Ritz and information presented in court, on September 8, 2021, 
detectives with the Memphis Police Department’s Organized Crime Unit received information that 
narcotics were possibly on a flight from Los Angeles to Memphis. Investigators used a drug-sniffing 
dog, which gave a positive alert on a suitcase that was owned by Rashid James-Wooten.

A  search  of  the  suitcase  revealed  996  grams  of  fentanyl,  4,472  grams  of 
methamphetamine, and 1,220 grams of marijuana.  James-Wooten was placed into custody after 
inquiring at baggage claim about his lost luggage.

James-Wooten pled guilty to the offense.

United States District Judge John T. Fowlkes Jr., sentenced James-Wooten to six years’ 
imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the 
federal system.

This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task 
Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug 
trafficking organizations and organized criminal enterprises, targeting national and regional level 
drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and 
resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.

This case was investigated by the Memphis Police Department Organized Crime Unit, the Drug 
Enforcement Administration, Memphis Airport Police, and United States Customs
and Border Protection.

United States Attorney Kevin Ritz thanked Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Kimbril-Parks, 
who prosecuted this case, as well as the law enforcement partners who investigated the case.

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For more information, please contact Public Information Officer Cherri Green at (901) 544-4231 or cherri.green@usdoj.gov. Follow @WDTNNews on Twitter for office news and updates.

Department of Justice
Office of the U.S. Attorney
Western District of Tennessee

Source: Justice.gov