A Lawrence, Kan., man was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., to 16.75 years in federal prison in a marijuana trafficking case. He also was sentenced to a consecutive 30 months on a supervised release violation in a prior case.
Roosevelt Rico Dahda, 33, Lawrence, Kan., was convicted in a jury trial in July 2014 on conspiracy (count 1), using a telephone in furtherance of drug trafficking (counts 42, 45, 53, 55, 70) possession with intent to distribute marijuana (counts 43, 49, 73) possession with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of Holcomb Sports Complex in Lawrence (count 56).
During trial, prosecutors presented evidence Dahda was a member of a drug trafficking organization that was responsible distributing $16.9 million worth of marijuana in the Lawrence area. Starting in 2008 law enforcement agencies began receiving information that Dahda’s brother and co-defendant, Los Rovell Dahda, was distributing marijuana in the Lawrence area. When Roosevelt Dahda was released from prison in November 2010 in a prior case, he joined his brother in the trafficking organization.
The Dahdas used a business they owned in Lawrence, Gran-Daddy’s BBQ at 1447 W. 23rd St., as well as other properties to receive, store and process marijuana for distribution.
The Dahdas bought marijuana from suppliers in California for $1,800 a pound to $2,800 a pound and sold it in the Lawrence for $3,500 to $4,800 a pound. It is estimated the traffickers distributed more than 8,000 pounds of marijuana from 2005 to 2012.
Co-defendant Los Rovell Dahda is awaiting sentencing.
Agencies involved in the investigation and the arrest of defendants include the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, the Lawrence Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Postal Service, the Alameda County, Calif., Sheriff’s Drug Task Force, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Lenexa Police Department, the Overland Park Police Department, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department and the Hayward, Calif., Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead is prosecuting.