Prosecutors say Carl Sharp, 49, of Peoria, Arizona, was caught trafficking more than four kilograms of methamphetamine.
Jul 12, 2024 12:01 pm EDT
PROVIDENCE, RI — An Arizona man was taken into federal custody in Rhode Island after prosecutors said he was caught trafficking more than four kilograms of methamphetamine.
Carl Sharp, 49, of Peoria, Arizona, was charged Monday in U.S. District Court in Providence with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine.
Subscribe
Prosecutors said Sharp shipped meth through the U.S. Mail from Arizona, California, and Nevada, to the Providence metro area. Sharp would then ship the money from Rhode Island out west, prosecutors said.
The U.S. Postal Inspectors identified at least 16 priority mail packages shipped to Rhode Island from western states and six parcels sent back west from the Providence area. Prosecutors said investigators searched four of the packages and seized 4.44 kilograms of methamphetamine, 249 grams of cocaine, and $3,000 in cash.
According to the FBI, Sharp deposited over $320,000 in cash into his bank account between January 2022 and May 2024. Most of these cash deposits were made at ATMs in Arizona and Rhode Island, with some of the money deposited at ATMs in California, Nevada, and Massachusetts, prosecutors said.
During this time, Sharp withdrew over $225,000 in cash at casinos, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors said casinos are often used to launder money by converting illicit funds into chips and then cashing out those chips after gambling.
Sharp was arrested by Providence police on Saturday.
Have a news tip? Email jimmy.bentley@patch.com.