PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Jermaine Z. Lewis, 32, of Pensacola, Florida, pled guilty in federal court for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl; possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin; and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Jason Rigdon, 44, of Crawfordville, Florida, pleaded guilty July 9, 2025, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of multiple firearms by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. “I applaud the...

Tampa, Fla. – U.S. District Judge William F. Jung has sentenced Vicente Lopez Mero (67, Ecuador) to 19 years and 6 months in federal prison for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine on a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Lopez Mero pleaded guilty on...

GAINESVILLE, FLA. – Khiri Jackson, 31, of Cross City, Fla., pled guilty in federal court to possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Methamphetamine...

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Augusto Rene Reyes-Gonzalez (37, Guatemala), Carlos Grijalva-Garcia (38, Guatemala), and Brandon Charod Smith (39, Palm Bay) have pleaded guilty to their respective roles in conspiring to distribute and distributing cocaine and methamphetamine. Reyes-Gonzalez and Grijalva-Garcia also pleaded guilty to...

On March 26 Cesar Augusto Romero Caballero, of Colombia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by U.S. District Court Judge James Moody Jr. for conspiracy to distribute cocaine having reasonable cause to believe it would be unlawfully imported into the United States. Romero Caballero pleaded guilty on April 8...

Jacksonville, Fla. – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announced Brian Gregory Brightman (31, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine. Brightman faces a minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet...

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Nicolas Garcia Hernandez 27, Shelbyville, Tenn., to 11 years and 3 months in federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Garcia Hernandez pleaded guilty on November 13, 2024. According to court documents, Garcia Hernandez, who had...

MIAMI – Four South Florida residents have been sentenced to federal prison for distributing fentanyl and meth. On Jan. 16, Gito St. Fort, 35, of West Palm Beach, Fla., a career criminal, was sentenced to 320 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to distribution of a controlled substance resulting...

Orlando, Fla. – Senior U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell has sentenced Jackie Jamal Hines, 47, of Melbourne, Fla., to 10 years in federal prison for possessing with intent to distribute multiple kilograms of cocaine. Hines pleaded guilty on May 30, 2024. According to court documents, a traffic stop was...