A Detroit couple has been handed down prison sentences for their involvement in a drug trafficking operation that spanned over a year. Ladale Jajaum Solomon, 30, and his wife Leila Darsel Ivery, also 30, received substantial prison terms for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the pair were apprehended after flying from Los Angeles to Cleveland, with a layover in Minneapolis, each carrying cocaine in their checked luggage. Traveling on separate flights, law enforcement at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport suspected their bags, obtaining a search warrant and seizing around 23 kilograms of the drug. This brought an end to their stint that started in January 2022 and ran until May 2023.

Ivery pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine in late November last year. Just days ago, on March 26, U.S. District Court Judge David S. Doty sentenced her to 57 months behind bars, which will be followed by a five-year term of supervised release.

Her husband Solomon, who had pleaded guilty to the same charge in December, received a heftier sentence of 120 months in prison, reflecting his role in the operation. His sentencing, having taken place today, will similarly include a supervised release period spanning five years post-incarceration, as specified by the U.S. Attorney's announcement.

The successful convictions can be attributed to thorough investigations by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the MSP Airport Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen A. Slaughter prosecuted the case, leading to the couple's dismantling of their drug trafficking enterprise and eventual imprisonment.