A Jamaican indicted over two years ago for allegedly orchestrating a cross-country drug operation headquartered in Baltimore surprised authorities by pleading guilty this week in U.S. District Court.
Richard Byrd,43, indicated he wanted to plead guilty just days before a weeks-long trial in U.S. District Court was to begin.
The Jamaican pleaded guilty Wednesday signing in the courtroom a plea agreement that calls for him to receive 26 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering.
He will be sentenced in February.
Assistant U.S. Attorney James Warwick told U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett that Byrd was the leader of a drug distribution network that obtained drugs from Mexican sources in California and Arizona, and distributed them in Maryland, Ohio as well as Pennsylvania.
The drugs were transported by freight, with couriers taking proceeds to Atlanta and cities in Nevada, Texas, Arizona and California.
Prosecutors said the couriers used charter jets and commercial flights to bring back the millions in proceeds.
Prosecutors say Byrd amassed millions of dollars, and his plea agreement included a forfeiture order calling for him to give up $20 million and his interests in a nightclub in Manhattan, vehicles and property in Fort Lauderdale.
In an earlier bid to win his release pending trial, Byrd's then-attorney had argued that he was a high-roller who helped organize major events for brands that drew celebrities and athletes.
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