Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Angela Michelle Tanner, 55, of Tavares, Florida, was sentenced to 76 months’ imprisonment in federal court for Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl, 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine, and 500 grams or more of a Mixture Containing Methamphetamine, and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “The promise by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America from the drug traffickers who are flooding our streets with deadly, addictive drugs is being fulfilled thanks to the excellent collaborative efforts of our local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, like we saw in this case. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute drug traffickers to keep our communities safe and healthy.”
Court documents reflect that Tanner orchestrated the shipment of fentanyl and multiple pounds of methamphetamine from Arizona to individuals in Florida to whom she was introduced via an inmate in the Florida Department of Corrections. Tanner used money exchange applications to receive and promote drug trafficking. In 2023, Tanner was arrested on outstanding warrants from Citrus County, Florida.
In dismantling this conspiracy, Chason Johnson, 32, of Tallahassee, Florida, was separately charged and sentenced to 156 months in federal prison for receiving packages of methamphetamine from Tanner and possession of a firearm following his release from the Florida Department of Corrections.
“This case is a great example of law enforcement working together—seven agencies in total—to bring a transnational drug trafficker to justice,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Miami Field Division Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter. “Methamphetamine can tear apart families and communities, and we won’t stop until these criminals are brought to justice.”
“The successful outcome of this investigation is a reflection of the hard work and dedicated service demonstrated by the entire law enforcement community,” said Bladismir Rojo, Acting Inspector In Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Miami Division. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue to make every effort to remove illicit drugs and dangerous contraband from our communities.”
The case involved an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the Tallahassee Police Department, the Florida Department of Corrections, the United States Marshal Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Mesa Police Department in Mesa, Arizona. Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
