Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
Marcus Devon Rayford, a 42-year-old resident of Pensacola, Florida, has been sentenced to five years in prison. This follows his guilty plea to charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and cocaine, as well as possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The sentencing was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated: “I applaud the substantial efforts of our state and federal law enforcement partners to investigate, arrest, and help bring this drug trafficker to justice. These offenses are not victimless crimes; the victims are the members of our community who experience the addiction and violence that too often follows from drug traffickers flooding our streets with this poison. President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi promised to Take Back America with the aggressive pursuit of drug traffickers victimizing our communities, and that is exactly what my office will continue to do.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives began investigating an armed drug trafficking organization in Pensacola in January 2024. Marcus Rayford was identified as a key figure within this group, with law enforcement witnessing him distributing firearms and narcotics multiple times. In December 2024, authorities executed a search warrant at Rayford's residence where they found five firearms along with cocaine base, cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana, and heroin.
This case resulted from a collaborative investigation involving several agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Escambia County Sheriff's Office; Pensacola Police Department; Florida Highway Patrol; Florida Department of Law Enforcement; Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey M. Tharp prosecuted the case.
The prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration and eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida operates under the direction of the Attorney General as one of 94 offices serving as principal litigators across the nation.
For more information about accessing public court documents or details about this office's work visit their website at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
