Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
Lionel Mitchel Crawford, a 54-year-old resident of Marianna, Florida, has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges related to the distribution of methamphetamine. The sentencing was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
According to court records, Crawford sold more than 50 grams of methamphetamine during an undercover law enforcement operation on December 12, 2024. The transaction took place at his property in Jackson County, Florida. Crawford has a previous conviction for a serious drug felony.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated: “Methamphetamine has a devastating impact on our communities, but our state and federal law enforcement partners remain relentless in their execution of operations like this one to rid our streets of this deadly drug and the criminals who peddle it. My office will continue to deliver on the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi through Operation Take Back America to use the full force of the law to protect our communities from drug traffickers like this defendant.”
The case resulted from a joint investigation involving the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Eric Welch and Jessica Etherton prosecuted the case.
Acting Special Agent in Charge Kevin Bobbitt of DEA Miami Field Division commented: “This joint effort brought a methamphetamine trafficker to justice,” adding, “Methamphetamine destroys families and DEA will not stop until the flow of this poison is stopped.”
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America, an initiative led by the Department of Justice that focuses resources on fighting illegal immigration, eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime as well as human and drug trafficking.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one among 94 offices across the country that serve as principal litigators under direction from the Attorney General. More information about this office can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
