Tampa man sentenced to 20 years for cocaine possession and firearm charges

TAMPA, Florida — U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday has sentenced 32-year-old Lennard Rashard Monroe, of Tampa, to 20 years in federal prison for possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

Monroe’s co-conspirator, Justin Latrun Farrior, was previously sentenced to four years and two months in federal prison. According to court documents and statements made in open court, the Tampa Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Drug Enforcement Administration used a confidential source to purchase cocaine from Monroe and Farrior at a "trap house" in the Sulphur Springs neighborhood of Tampa.

When executing a search warrant at the trap house, agents found Monroe asleep in a bedroom with his two-year-old son. During a search of that bedroom, agents located a kilogram brick of cocaine, three firearms, and more than $18,000 in cash.

This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David P. Sullivan and Suzanne C. Nebesky.