JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man from Georgia has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison, up to life, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
According to court records, on April 12, 2025, Homeland Security Investigations agents in Jacksonville were contacted by HSI agents in Savannah after Turner County (Ga.) sheriff’s deputies stopped one of Don Juan’s co-conspirators for a traffic violation. During a dog sniff and subsequent search of the vehicle, officers found about 7 kilograms of fentanyl.
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Investigators allege the co-conspirator was transporting the drugs from Lawrenceville, Ga., to Jacksonville. The co-conspirator told agents that on the morning of April 12, Don Juan instructed them — using a contraband cellphone while already serving a federal prison sentence on a prior drug conspiracy conviction — to meet someone at a Lawrenceville store to pick up “7 pieces,” which referred to the seven kilograms. The package was placed in the co-conspirator’s vehicle in the store parking lot, prosecutors said.
Don Juan is accused of directing the co-conspirator’s route, a meeting location and the Jacksonville recipient for the shipment. Prosecutors say the co-conspirator had made several prior deliveries for Don Juan, including within the Middle District of Florida.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations; the Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Florida Highway Patrol; the Turner County Sheriff’s Office; and the Georgia State Police. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Cannizarro and Elisibeth Adams.
The U.S. attorney’s office said the case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at disrupting cartels and transnational criminal organizations and combating violent crime. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.