Major Midlands cocaine trafficker sentenced to 14 years in federal prison
A major cocaine trafficker in the Columbia and Lexington County areas was sentenced Wednesday to 14 years in prison, the South Carolina U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.
Axel Gustavo Calderon-Rosado, 36, of Columbia, who in March pleaded guilty to a federal drug offense, was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison to be followed by a four-year term of court-ordered supervision, the U.S. Attorney’s office said in a statement.
Prosecutors described Calderon-Rosado as a “significant supplier” of cocaine who regularly shipped large sums of cash to Puerto Rico and in return received kilogram quantities of the drug. A review of postal and financial records found that between April 2020 and November 2023, he received more than 30 kilograms of cocaine, federal prosecutors said.
The Richland County Sheriff’s Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service launched an investigation into Calderon-Rosado’s drug trafficking operation in 2021.
In July and October of that year, authorities intercepted two suspicious packages addressed to locations associated with him, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The first package, intercepted July 13, 2021, contained approximately one kilogram of cocaine; and the second, intercepted Oct. 4, 2021, more than three kilograms.
Authorities arrested Calderon-Rosado after he took possession of the second package and hit him with state-level drug trafficking charges, court records show. A subsequent search of his associated addresses turned up more than $30,000 in cash, cocaine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and multiple stolen firearms and ammunition, prosecutors said.
Court records show that just one day after his 2021 arrest, Calderon-Rosado posted a $40,000 surety bond and was released from custody.
Upon realizing that Calderon-Rosado was continuing to traffic drugs while out on bond, the U.S. Attorney’s Office federally indicted him on multiple drug and weapons charges, spokeswoman Veronica Hill said. He was arrested May 23, 2024, and has been in custody ever since, she said.
On March 4, Calderon-Rosado pleaded guilty to one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, court records show. His other charges were dismissed as part of his plea deal, records show.
Calederon-Rosa’s case was jointly investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI Columbia field office, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, the Columbia Police Department and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.