HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – Javier Alejandro Anaya-Leal, 31, of Ruskin, Florida, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy.
Anaya-Leal pleaded guilty in July to charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute.
Court documents revealed that between 2022 and 2023, Anaya-Leal possessed and intended to distribute over 1,400 grams of methamphetamine and four kilograms of cocaine. He sold the methamphetamine, which was 97% pure, to a confidential informant working with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on multiple occasions in 2022.
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In March 2024, Anaya-Leal arranged to sell two to three kilograms of cocaine to the informant. Law enforcement agents arrested Anaya-Leal and his courier, Matias Sanchez Cardosa, during the transaction at Anaya-Leal’s residence in Hillsborough County. Four kilograms of cocaine were found in Cardosa’s vehicle.
In addition to the eight-year prison sentence, Anaya-Leal was ordered to forfeit $9,750 in drug proceeds. Cardosa, who acted as the courier, was previously sentenced to 14 years in federal prison in October.
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