Arzalea Teshean McLaughlin, Benjamin Eugene Mack, and Roger Cornell Daniels, all of Crestview, Florida, were indicted in federal court on charges related to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and cocaine base, conspiracy to commit unlawful use of communications facility, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, according to a June 12 announcement by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
McLaughlin, 37; Mack, 54; and Daniels, 37, appeared in federal court for their arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho in Pensacola. A jury trial is scheduled for July 20 at 8:30 a.m. before District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell II.
If convicted as charged, McLaughlin and Mack face a minimum mandatory sentence of ten years’ imprisonment and up to life in prison. Daniels faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five years’ imprisonment and up to a total of seventy-four years’ imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations Division, and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes is prosecuting the case.
“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,” said officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida. “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 case forms part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative led by the Department of Justice aiming at countering illegal immigration as well as eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida covers twenty-three counties including Tallahassee and collaborates with various law enforcement agencies through initiatives such as Project Safe Childhood, according to the official website.