When U.S. Attorney Dena J. King for the Western District of North Carolina announced that Rashad Jamal Blanchard, a member of the Inglewood Family Gangster Bloods, had been sentenced to 20 years in prison for trying to smuggle 46 kilograms of methamphetamine through Charlotte Douglas International Airport, along with an additional five years of supervised release, a massive drug smuggling operation came to an end.
When Blanchard arrived at the airport on February 1, 2023, agents from Homeland Security Investigations’ Queen City Regional Border Security Task Force found vacuum-sealed packages containing meth wrapped in comforters. After examining his checked luggage, they found that three of the suitcases contained 34.6 kilograms of meth, and the fourth, which was subsequently intercepted, contained an additional 11.4 kilograms, bringing the total amount of drugs to 46 kilograms. The announcement was backed by Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) and Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of HSI.
Blanchard has a criminal history that spans four states, and his run-ins with the law predate this methamphetamine story. His arrest in Charlotte occurred while he was on probation for bank robbery and carjacking, and he was bonded pending prosecution in California for drug possession and an alleged shooting during a dispute. North Carolina, California, Florida, and Virginia are all plagued by past felonies like these.
Blanchard entered a guilty plea on November 28, 2023, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, according to an official announcement obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He is still in federal custody and will be transferred to a federal prison upon facility assignment. U.S. Attorney King made sure to thank HSI, CMPD, and the regional task force for their cooperation in uncovering this crime.
In overseeing the court case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Kent of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte successfully prosecuted Blanchard in the drug smuggling case, sending a strong message about the serious consequences of participating in such an illegal drug distribution network.
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