Tarpon Springs Man Convicted Of Mailing 18 Pounds Of Meth To Himself

TARPON SPRINGS, FL — U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington has sentenced Jason Ryan Hardy, 40, of Tarpon Springs, to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Hardy pleaded guilty on Jan. 11.

According to court documents, Hardy flew to California to coordinate the delivery of methamphetamine from California to Florida. On June 19, 2020, package delivery employees in California reported receiving a suspicious package. Despite being shipped from California, the sender’s address and the return address on the package were both based in Florida.

The sender’s address was later confirmed to be Hardy’s, and Hardy was listed as the person to return the package to if the package could not be delivered, said court records.

Homeland Security investigators searched the package and discovered that it contained more than 18 pounds of methamphetamine. On June 22, 2020, Hardy was arrested after he called to inquire about the status of the package, identifying himself by his first name and providing his phone number and email address.

“This criminal was stopped from smuggling large amounts of deadly drugs into our communities,” said Homeland Security Investigations Assistant Special Agent in Charge Micah McCombs. “HSI special agents, working with our partners from the Tarpon Springs Police Department and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, prevented large amounts of methamphetamine from entering our neighborhoods and have certainly saved lives.”