Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Stephen Lamar Jones, 43, has pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine with the intent to distribute them. John P. Heekin, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the plea.
“I applaud the excellent investigative work by the DEA and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office that supported this successful prosecution by my office,” U.S. Attorney Heekin said. “This repeat offender sought to profit from the devastation caused by meth and other drugs, but now he’ll remain locked away in federal prison where he belongs.”
A deputy detained Jones for being in a park after hours, and he was subsequently arrested with 284 grams of methamphetamine, as well as heroin and cocaine. He has remained in the Alachua County Jail since his arrest on July 20, 2025. Jones previously was convicted of trafficking in amphetamines.
Jones faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
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The investigation was conducted jointly by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christie Utt and Tyler Fleming are prosecuting the case.
Sentencing is set for Dec. 8, 2026, at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville. Chief U.S. District Judge Allen C. Winsor will preside.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that brings together the full resources of the Department of Justice to combat illegal immigration, pursue the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from those responsible for violent crime, human trafficking and drug trafficking.
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