Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Opa-Locka Resident Sentenced to 108 Months in Prison for Drug Trafficking Near an Elementary School
The defendant used his home for distribution of cocaine and cocaine base a/k/a “crack cocaine”
U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman sentenced an Opa-Locka resident to serve nine years in prison for drug trafficking within 1,000 feet of a school.
Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, State Attorney, Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, Ari C. Shapira, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Office, and Juan J. Perez, Director, Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), made the announcement.
According to the court record, MDPD executed a search warrant at Tavares McCray, 42, residence on June 13, 2018, after two controlled purchases of cocaine from the home. At that time, McCray was found inside of the home with his 15 and 12 year-old daughters, and his two year-old son. Inside of the residence, law enforcement found 169.1 grams of powder cocaine and 33.6 grams of crack cocaine packaged for distribution. The drugs were concealed in a PVC pipe and a false-bottom paint can. Additionally, drug paraphernalia used in the manufacture and distribution of narcotics was found on the kitchen counter and in a kitchen drawer. During the search, a Glock 26 firearm loaded with fifteen rounds of ammunition was found in a women’s purse. McCray had over $2,400, in bundles consistent with the sale of narcotics in his shorts pocket. McCray’s residence was located within 1,000 feet of Nathan B. Young Elementary School.
U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commends the investigative efforts of ATF and the MDPD. Ms. Fajardo Orshan also thanked the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office and Drug Enforcement Administration for their assistance. This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Gellis from the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ajay Alexander.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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