TAMPA, Fla. — A Hardee County man has been sentenced to 27 years in federal prison for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy.
Herbert Battle Jr., 54, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine.
Federal prosecutors said Battle oversaw a drug operation that mailed packages containing methamphetamine from California to the Tampa area.
At the height of the operation, the group received up to 20 pounds of high-purity methamphetamine each week, according to court records.
Battle has a criminal history dating to 1989 and was previously convicted in a 2018 federal heroin distribution case.
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