Two people face federal drug conspiracy charges after providing an undercover investigator a “free sample” of the drug in Columbus, according to federal prosecutors.
Musa Kamara and Hagie Camara each face federal charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute at least 5 kilograms of cocaine, according to a criminal complaint filed Sept. 5 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.
A special agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said in an affidavit that the agency began investigating Kamara in August after an informant said he was a “kilogram level” drug dealer in Columbus.
The informant spoke to Kamara by phone and arranged for him to bring a sample of cocaine to an undercover investigator posing as a potential customer, according to the affidavit. The special agent wrote that Camara met with the undercover investigator on Aug. 28 and gave them 40 grams of cocaine.
The undercover investigator continued speaking to Kamara by phone, and Kamara agreed to sell the investigator 10 kilograms of cocaine for $135,000, according to the affidavit.
On Sept. 4, investigators followed Kamara from his home to the Four Pointe Apartments on Hoover Forest Lane off State Route 161. There, Camara placed a silver suitcase in Kamara’s backseat, according to the affidavit.
Investigators continued to follow the vehicle, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol stopped it on Interstate 270 for a traffic infraction not described in the criminal complaint.
A narcotics dog alerted to the vehicle, and the highway patrol seized the silver briefcase in the search, according to the affidavit. The suitcase contained 10 kilograms of cocaine, the special agent wrote in the affidavit.
The DEA secured a search warrant and searched a property on the 1900 block of Morse Road, where they found over two kilograms of suspected cocaine along with plastic bags, a vacuum sealer, a money counter and a handgun, according to the affidavit.
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute at least 5 kilograms of cocaine is a federal felony with a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. Kamara and Camara could face life in prison and up to $10 million in fines if convicted.
Public Safety and Breaking News Reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Two face federal drug charges after over 12 kilos cocaine seized in Columbus, feds say
Reporting by Bailey Gallion, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
