ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office on Thursday announced the sentencing of four men who were responsible for distributing large quantities of pure meth into the Jacksonville area.
Three of the convicted men live in Jacksonville and the fourth lives in Atlantic Beach.
The Department of Homeland Security was the lead agency investigating the four men after receiving a tip from a confidential informant. The tip paid off because prosecutors said the men worked together to distribute a large amount of meth in the area.
According to federal prosecutors, the four men, who are all from Duval County, pleaded guilty to distributing kilo quantities of pure meth every week or two in the Jacksonville metropolitan area. Prosecutors say this went on between 2018 and 2020 before Homeland Security got wind of the illegal operation and took action to shut it down.
One of the men, identified by investigators as a meth supplier, was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison. The person he suppled the meth to for street distribution was sentenced to five years behind bars.
A third defendant in the case was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and the fourth convicted meth distributor was sentenced to seven years.
Following their sentencing in federal court, Homeland Security Special Agent in Charge – John Condon released this statement that reads: “The illicit opioid crisis continues to ravage our communities, prematurely end lives, and tragically destroy families at the seams.”