D.C. Man Gets 24 Months in Federal Prison for Bicoastal Marijuana Trafficking

Ricardo Anton Koonce, 35, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced to 24 months in prison on June 3, 2026, in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for his participation in a bicoastal marijuana distribution conspiracy.

The sentence applies to a single defendant who operated within a network moving marijuana between California and East Coast markets, including the District of Columbia. Federal prosecutors did not disclose the total volume of marijuana involved or additional co-conspirators sentenced to date.

The prior state allowed Koonce to remain free pending sentencing after his guilty plea. The new state imposes immediate incarceration, followed by supervised release. The 24-month term takes effect immediately upon the June 3, 2026, hearing.

Downstream, the Bureau of Prisons must designate a facility and begin the 24-month term. Upon release, Koonce faces a term of supervised release that requires compliance with federal drug laws and reporting obligations. The sentence also activates forfeiture of any assets tied to the trafficking proceeds, requiring the U.S. Attorney’s Office and U.S. Marshals Service to complete asset liquidation and deposit into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund.

The case forms one data point in the Justice Department’s ongoing enforcement of the federal Controlled Substances Act prohibition on interstate marijuana distribution, even as multiple states have legalized recreational cannabis.

This sentencing continues a series of federal prosecutions targeting cross-jurisdictional marijuana networks. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia brought the case under statutes that treat marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance despite state-level legalization in California and the District of Columbia.

Congress has not amended the Controlled Substances Act to remove marijuana from Schedule I; separate legislation to do so has been introduced but not enacted.