Special to The Banner-News
Kendall Ivan Brown, 41, of Okaloosa County, Florida, was sentenced to 25 years in federal jail after pleading responsible to conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or extra of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or extra of cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The sentence was introduced by Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
“I am proud of our federal, state, and local partners for their tireless efforts to keep us safe and serve a critical role in our efforts to remove addictive and deadly controlled substances from our communities,” stated U.S. Attorney Coody. “We will continue to support the efforts our law enforcement partners as we work together to investigate and prosecute criminals bringing drugs into North Florida.”
In August 2021, U.S. Postal Inspectors recognized a number of packages shipped from Puerto Rico to addresses in Okaloosa County, Florida, over a number of months, containing massive portions of cocaine. Working with the Okaloosa County (*25*) Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration, investigators had been in a position to determine Brown because the recipient and decide that he was receiving the packages at a number of completely different addresses in Fort Walton Beach, Shalimar, and Crestview. On November 16, 2021, investigators executed search warrants at three places related to Brown and found over eight kilograms of cocaine. At one of many places, the cocaine was hid with a loaded Sig Sauer 9mm pistol.
This case resulted from a joint investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Okaloosa County (*25*) Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Walter Narramore prosecuted the case.
This case is a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing collectively all ranges of legislation enforcement and the communities they serve to scale back violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everybody. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime discount technique strengthening PSN primarily based on these core rules: fostering belief and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that assist forestall violence from occurring within the first place, setting centered and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the outcomes.
As a part of its PSN technique, the United States Attorney’s Office is encouraging everybody to lock their automotive doorways, significantly at evening. Burglaries from unlocked cars are a major supply of weapons for criminals within the Northern District of Florida. Please do your half and shield your self by locking your automotive doorways.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is considered one of 94 workplaces that function the nation’s principal litigators below the course of the Attorney General. To entry public courtroom paperwork on-line, please go to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida web site. For extra information concerning the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, go to http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.