Co-Conspirators Sentenced for Directing Fentanyl Distribution While Incarcerated

Tampa, Florida - Leundro Childs (42, Tampa) and Edilberto Mojica (41, Polk County) have been sentenced by U.S. District Judge John L. Badalamenti for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Childs was sentenced to 19 years and 7 months and Mojica was sentenced to 24 years and 4 months in federal prison. Both previously pleaded guilty. The court also ordered Childs to forfeit a HiPoint rifle, magazines, and assorted ammunition, assets used to facilitate the commission of the offenses. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Mojica, while serving a sentence in the Florida Department of Corrections, instructed Childs and another co-conspirator to travel to Georgia to purchase large quantities of fentanyl and bring it back for distribution in the Middle District of Florida. Childs, after being arrested on unrelated narcotics possession charges, directed the continued movement and distribution of the fentanyl. Following an undercover purchase from co-conspirators, investigators recovered more than 1,500 grams of fentanyl, two firearms, and materials used to package narcotics for sale.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael A. Peterson and Candace Garcia Rich.