A major drug case tied to cocaine trafficking ended with a lengthy prison sentence in Cayuga County Court.
Zachary V. Jackson Jr., 38, of Ithaca, was sentenced to 15 years in state prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision, according to the Cayuga County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said the case stemmed from a November incident in the City of Auburn.
During court proceedings, Jackson admitted he possessed more than four ounces of cocaine on Nov. 19 when law enforcement executed a search warrant on him and his vehicle.
Authorities said a second search warrant executed the same day at his Ithaca residence uncovered a kilogram of cocaine and a Glock handgun.
Jackson previously pleaded guilty on Aug. 27 to one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the second degree, a class A-II felony.
Prosecutors said Jackson was sentenced as a predicate violent felony offender.
He was previously convicted of assault in the first degree in Onondaga County in September 2007 and received a 15-year sentence in that case.
As part of the sentencing, Jackson also forfeited $37,134 recovered during the searches.
The Finger Lakes Drug Task Force led the investigation with assistance from Auburn police, New York State Police, the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office, Ithaca police, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York separately prosecuted Jackson for possession charges related to Ithaca.
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