Blood Gang Member Sentenced for Undercover Cocaine Sale

Prosecutors in District Attorney General Charme Allen’s Career Gang Unit obtained a fifteen-year sentence today against a man who sold cocaine to a Knoxville Police Department informant. Rashan Lateef Jordan, 36, was convicted of Sale and Delivery of Cocaine over .5 Grams in a Drug Free Childcare Zone. Judge Bob McGee sentenced Jordan to serve fifteen years in prison with the first twelve years to be served without the possibility of parole.

In a two-day trial, Assistant District Attorneys Sarah Keith and Jennifer Welch explained to the jury that on March 25, 2010, Knoxville Police Department Investigator John Holmes used a confidential informant to purchase cocaine from Jordan. Inv. Holmes provided the informant with an undercover wire and $1080 to purchase one ounce of cocaine. When the informant and Jordan met, Jordan sold the informant twenty-two grams of cocaine. The informant then turned over the cocaine and the recording of the transaction to Inv. Holmes. At sentencing today, ADA TaKisha Fitzgerald argued for an enhanced sentence due to Jordan’s membership in the East Side Bloods criminal street gang and his prior criminal history including convictions for Possession with Intent to Sell Cocaine, Attempted Aggravated Sexual Battery, Evading Arrest, and two counts of Theft.

“Clearly, Jordan’s five prior felony convictions were not enough to deter his criminal activity,” said DA Allen.”With this conviction, my Office has ensured that he will not be able to commit any more crimes in Knoxville for a very long time.”

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.