Two sentenced to more than 10 years for drug trafficking
TEXARKANA, Texas — Co-defendants in a drug trafficking trial were sentenced Tuesday to more than a decade each by a federal judge in Texarkana.
Justin “Bandaid” Rashad Young, 31, was sentenced to 140 months in federal prison Tuesday afternoon by U.S. District Judge Robert Schroeder III. Young was was found guilty by a jury in June of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, five grams or more but less than 50. Young was accused of conspiracy involving 50 grams or more but the jury opted for the lesser amount.
The jury acquitted Young on three counts listed in the indictment. He was found not guilty of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and aiding and abetting, and two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
Joshea “Too Tall” Cardwell, 30, pleaded guilty in June to conspiring with Young to traffic drugs and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
Schroeder sentenced Cardwell to a 130-month term.
Young and Cardwell were arrested in June 2017 in a Texarkana, Texas, hotel room with large quantities of drugs, digital scales, firearms and cash, according to court filings.
Other court filings in the case indicate that Young, under the name “Bandaid,” can be found in music videos on YouTube possessing large sums of U.S. currency, controlled substances, and firearms while singing explicit lyrics, of which selling narcotics is a primary theme.