United States Drug Enforcement Administration

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Bennie Charles Deloach, 36, of Cantonment, Fla., was sentenced to 14 years in prison after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine or 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Methamphetamine is a dangerous drug that is plaguing our community and threatening the health and safety of our citizens.  I deeply appreciate the hard work of our state and federal law enforcement partners to help keep drug traffickers like this defendant off our streets, and my office will not hesitate to aggressively prosecute these offenses to safeguard our community.”

According to court records, a Pensacola Police Department Officer attempted to stop Deloach’s vehicle, as Deloach had active felony warrants. Deloach fled from the officer, hitting a pole and a parked vehicle, and then got out of the vehicle and fled on foot. Officers located narcotics, including a large amount of methamphetamine, in a backpack Deloach dropped, as well as more narcotics in the vehicle. The methamphetamine weighed over 830 grams.

“Effective law enforcement in the war on drugs isn’t just about reacting to crime … it’s about anticipating it, disrupting the supply chains, and working together with all of our law enforcement partners to stop it,” said Chief Brown, Pensacola Police Department. “Illegal use of drugs in our community is something that cannot be tolerated, and we will use all avenues in the war on drugs.”

“Those who distribute methamphetamine in Florida will be held accountable,” said DEA Miami Field Division Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter. “The health and safety of our Florida communities is my top priority – always.”

The conviction and sentence were the result of a joint investigation by the Pensacola Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).