DEA Corruption Trial Witness Gets 10 Years

A former federal drug agent who testified against a colleague accused of heroin trafficking and money laundering was sentenced Monday in Los Angeles to 10 years in prison for his role in the drug ring.

John Jackson, 42, of Claremont, who had pleaded guilty, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. Prosecutors described the case as the worst corruption scandal ever to rock the Drug Enforcement Administration. In handing down the sentence, Hatter called Jackson’s testimony crucial to the government’s case against former DEA agent Darnell Garcia.

Garcia, of Rancho Palos Verdes, was convicted in April on one count each of conspiracy, heroin distribution and theft of government property and two counts of money laundering. He was sentenced in July to 80 years in prison and fined $1.16 million. Hatter said that Jackson’s 10-year term should show that “there’s an opportunity to come back into the fold and make amends by testifying truthfully.”