Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
Willie Frank Hicks, Jr., 42, of Madison, Florida, has been indicted in federal court on a charge of distributing methamphetamine. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Hicks is scheduled to be arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick on August 12, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. in Tallahassee.
If convicted, Hicks faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in prison and could receive up to life imprisonment.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Eric K. Mountin is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and does not serve as evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial where it is the government’s responsibility to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
"This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN)."
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one among 94 offices serving as principal litigators under guidance from the Attorney General. Public court documents can be accessed online via the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website, while more information about this office can be found at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
