United States Drug Enforcement Administration

Pensacola, Fla. – Arzalea Teshean McLaughlin, 37, Benjamin Eugene Mack, 54, and Roger Cornell Daniels, 38, all of Crestview, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and cocaine base, conspiracy to unlawfully use a communications facility, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. 

“The relationships between our state and federal law enforcement partners really help bring these types of investigations to successful conclusions,” said Special Agent in Charge Daniel Escobar, DEA Tampa Field Division. “Getting multiple drug distributors off our streets will make communities safer.”

John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the plea.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Thanks to the coordinated investigative efforts of our state and federal law enforcement partners, this trio’s days of trafficking drugs in the Northern District of Florida are at an end. With every successful prosecution by my office we are taking back our streets from these peddlers of poisonous drugs to deliver the safe, drug-free communities that the citizens of the Northern District of Florida deserve.”

According to court documents, between 2023 and 2025, McLaughlin, Mack, and Daniels conspired with each other and others to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine and cocaine base, commonly known as “crack cocaine.” McLaughlin obtained cocaine for sale through Daniels and used multiple locations in Okaloosa County to store and distribute drugs, including Mack’s and Daniels’ residences. Search warrants at those locations led to the seizure of nearly three-quarters of a kilogram of cocaine from Mack’s residence and almost one-quarter of a kilogram of cocaine from Daniel’s residence.

McLaughlin’s sentencing has been set for September 24, 2026, at 9 a.m., Mack’s sentencing has been set for October 15, 2026, at 2 p.m., and Daniels’ sentencing has been set for November 4, 2026, at 9 a.m. before United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II. McLaughlin and Mack face a minimum mandatory of 10 years up to life in prison, and Daniels faces a minimum mandatory of 5 years’ up to a total of 74 years’ imprisonment. Each defendant faces enhanced penalties due to having prior qualifying drug or violent convictions.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, the Crestview Police Department, and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, 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.