A 42-year-old Pensacola man will spend 60 months in a federal prison following his guilty plea to cocaine trafficking, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced July 1.
U.S. Attorney John Heekin announced that Marcus Rayford was sentenced for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon following a 2024 investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“I applaud the substantial efforts of our state and federal law enforcement partners to investigate, arrest, and help bring this drug trafficker to justice,” Heekin said. “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.”
The ATF began investigating Rayford in January 2024 after discovering he was a “key member” of an armed drug trafficking organization in Pensacola. The investigating revealed the organization would distribute narcotics along with firearms.
In December 2024, state and federal law enforcement partnered to execute a search warrant at Rayford’s home where they discovered five firearms, cocaine base, cocaine, marijuana and heroin.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola man federally sentenced as ‘key member’ of armed drug trafficking organization
Reporting by Benjamin Johnson, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
