A Pasadena man who ran a drug-trafficking ring that used couriers to hide heroin and cocaine in luggage on flights from Los Angeles to Detroit was sentenced Monday to 13 1/2 years in federal prison.
Kevin Blair, 46, pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine. Prosecutors said Blair was the “organizer or leader” of the scheme. This case involved four defendants and began on an unknown date and lasted until law enforcement moved in last year.
Three other co-defendants in the case pleaded guilty. Kennsha Mason, 30, of Detroit, was one of Blair’s drug couriers and was sentenced in October to 27 months in prison. Delano Leflore, 39, also of Detroit, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. Gabriela Maria De Leon, 29, of Woodland Hills, also pleaded to the conspiracy charge and was sentenced to time already served for her lesser role in the scheme.
The case began to unfold in March 2017 when authorities discovered more than four pounds of heroin and two pounds of cocaine in checked luggage at Los Angeles International Airport. The luggage belonged to Mason.
Leflore had hired Mason to transport the drugs and made arrangements for her to travel to Los Angeles. Upon arrival, Mason went to a townhouse on South Oakland Avenue in Pasadena, where Blair supplied the narcotics that were discovered by law enforcement in her suitcase, according to federal prosecutors. To learn more information about the legality transportation of illicit drugs, click here.