JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A former NFL player has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for his role leading a drug operation that dumped as much as 150 kg of cocaine in Jacksonville and Orlando.
Donald Broomfield, 40, operated the cocaine ring for more than four years out of his Jacksonville home, the FBI said.
A former professional football player, Broomfield played for Clemson in college and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals, later played for the Arizona Cardinals and was briefly with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Starting in 2010, Broomfield started importing cocaine from a source in Texas to sell in Florida.
“Broomfield, and others at his direction, used various vehicles equipped with hidden compartments to transport the cocaine,” an FBI release said.
On Aug. 8, 2014, Broomfield was pulled over by a deputy with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, who found 1.6 kg or cocaine in a hidden compartment.
The same day, investigators raided his Jacksonville home where he had been storing cocaine for years, the FBI said.
Broomfield was determined to be the drug ring’s leader and investigators found that in four years the operation distributed between 50-150 kg of cocaine.
Cox Media Group
