Axel Gustavo Calderon-Rosado, a 36-year-old resident of Columbia, South Carolina, has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for cocaine trafficking. The sentence follows an investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies into a drug trafficking operation that utilized the U.S. Postal Service.
The investigation began in 2021 when the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and U.S. Postal Inspection Service started looking into Calderon-Rosado’s activities. He was identified as a major supplier of cocaine in the Columbia and Lexington County areas.
According to investigators, Calderon-Rosado frequently sent large amounts of cash to Puerto Rico and received kilogram quantities of cocaine through the mail in return. Two locations linked to him were used for storing and distributing drugs. On July 13 and October 4, 2021, authorities intercepted two suspicious packages addressed to these locations; one contained approximately one kilogram of cocaine, while the other had more than three kilograms.
After intercepting the October package, authorities conducted an undercover operation that led to Calderon-Rosado’s arrest upon his possession of the cocaine. Searches at both addresses resulted in the seizure of over $30,000 in cash, additional drugs including marijuana, drug paraphernalia such as a kilogram press, multiple stolen firearms, and ammunition. Records showed that from April 2020 to November 2023, he received over 30 kilograms of cocaine via mail as part of this operation.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Calderon-Rosado to 168 months imprisonment followed by four years of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole available in the federal system.
The case was investigated by several agencies including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), FBI Columbia field office, Richland County Sheriff’s Department, Columbia Police Department, and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ariyana Gore and Lamar Fyall prosecuted the case.
