Aubrey Darnell Joseph, Sr., 35, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, has been indicted in federal court for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, according to a July 21 announcement by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Joseph appeared in federal court for his arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Hope Thai Cannon in Pensacola. The trial is scheduled for August 3 at 8:00 AM before United States District Court Judge M. Casey Rodgers in Pensacola.
If convicted on either count, Joseph faces a minimum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment up to life imprisonment. The case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force. Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica S. Etherton and Alicia H. Forbes are prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated, “An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.” This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion.
The Homeland Security Task Force involves interagency collaboration focused on eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling rings operating within and outside U.S. borders.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida covers 23 counties including Tallahassee and operates from facilities in Tallahassee, Pensacola and Gainesville as part of the Department of Justice; it advances community safety by upholding rule of law through collaborations such as Project Safe Childhood with local agencies, according to its official website.