A 30-year-old Tampa man is facing up to 40 years in prison on drug charges. A jury found him guilty last Friday.

According to the U. S. Attorney Middle District of Florida Office, Maurice Lavon Johnson was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana. The trial lasted three days before United States District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington.

Johnson was indicted on November 17, 2010, with co-defendants Joel Christopher Williams, and Rajeev Pherwani. Williams and Pherwani pled guilty and will be sentenced on November 22, 2011.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Johnson served as an enforcer and marijuana quality expert for a group which met with undercover officers from the Tampa Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration last October, and attempted to purchase several hundred pounds of marijuana.

Johnson has a sentencing date set for January 26, 2012.