A Los Angeles man with a lengthy criminal record, including ties to Florida, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for attempting to smuggle 46 kilograms of methamphetamine through Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Officials announced the sentencing of 47-year-old Rashad Jamal Blanchard, a member of the Inglewood Family Gangster Bloods, on Friday.
Blanchard’s criminal history spans four states—North Carolina, California, Florida, and Virginia—and includes convictions for carjacking and bank robbery. At the time of his arrest, he was on probation for the bank robbery and faced additional charges in California for allegedly possessing nearly four pounds of meth and discharging a firearm during a dispute.
On February 1, 2023, Homeland Security Investigations HSI and the Queen City Regional Border Security Task Force intercepted Blanchard at Charlotte airport. After arriving from Los Angeles, he had checked four suitcases, three of which contained methamphetamine vacuum-sealed in comforters.
These bags held 34.6 kilograms of meth, while the fourth suitcase, retrieved by another person and later tracked by law enforcement, contained 11.4 kilograms, totaling 46 kilograms.
Blanchard pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in November 2023. Alongside his 20-year prison sentence, he was ordered to serve five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Dena J. King, HSI Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant, and CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings commended the teamwork of the Queen City Regional Border Security Task Force in dismantling Blanchard’s operation. The case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Kent.