HOUSTON — A Houston rapper was sentenced Monday to more than 23 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and distributing meth, cocaine and opioids, the U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed.
Jermaine “Da Breadman” West pleaded guilty April 6 to 10 counts of drug trafficking, KPRC-TV reported.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge George Hanks ordered West, 43, to serve 280 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by six years of supervised release, according to a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration news release.
Prosecutors also argued during Monday’s sentencing hearing that West also engaged in gang activity beyond the drug trafficking charges, KPRC reported.
In handing down the sentence, Hanks said that West’s actions “destroyed people’s lives,” noting that he “played a dangerous game” for 20 years and that he had “played the game and lost,” the TV station reported.
West was part of the “Hood Kat Music Group” rap studio based on Houston’s southeast side, KPRC reported.
According to the DEA, the investigation began in 2019 when law enforcement learned West was trafficking narcotics. That information, paired with West’s “influential” gang involvement, prompted the FBI, DEA, Houston Police Department and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to launch a joint probe.
©2022 Cox Media Group
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/GBZHEXWTDRGSNP627EOTKCKHYI.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XY3KCGC55ZFEHPYZGIAH5WRP7U.jpeg)
:quality(70)/d1hfln2sfez66z.cloudfront.net/04-17-2024/t_8adc8880fdbe45b592c0ef82cd01ad9e_name_5PP_TEACHER_GRADES_HENRY_PKG_transfer_frame_8.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/ED5NEY6HERH65D72PRVKPI7HB4.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/V7MHSF7DKVC4HHS3X3CZ2KAO2M.jpg)