Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
Kelvin Henriques Jr., a 32-year-old resident of Los Angeles, California, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Apr. 16 for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Henriques appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho in Pensacola, Florida, for his arraignment. His jury trial is set for May 18 before District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell II. If convicted, Henriques faces a minimum mandatory sentence of ten years up to life in prison for the drug charge and up to twenty years for the money laundering charge.
The case resulted from a joint investigation involving several agencies: the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office with support from the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes is prosecuting the case.
The indictment is part of an initiative led by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), which was established under Executive Order 14159 to address criminal cartels and transnational criminal organizations operating within and outside U.S borders.
An indictment represents only an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida advances community safety and quality of life by upholding the rule of law and protecting civil rights across northern Florida according to its official website. The office operates from facilities located in Tallahassee, Pensacola, and Gainesville according to its official website, covers 23 counties including Tallahassee and the Panhandle according to its official website, enforces federal laws while defending national security according to its official website, collaborates with other law enforcement agencies through initiatives such as Project Safe Childhood according to its official website, prosecutes violations on behalf of the United States government according to its official website, and forms part of the Department of Justice according to its official website.
Broader efforts like those undertaken by HSTF aim not only at disrupting organized crime but also at enhancing public safety through coordinated law enforcement actions.
