PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Joseph Fletcher Lee, Jr., 47, of Defuniak Springs, Florida, was sentenced last week to serve a mandatory minimum term of fifteen years in federal prison after pleading guilty to the charges of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The sentence was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
“Communities throughout our district are plagued by methamphetamine distribution,” stated U.S. Attorney Coody. “We are committed to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and aggressively prosecute drug traffickers who distribute these addictive, controlled substances. This sentence is further proof of this resolve.”
On October 14, 2021, law enforcement executed two federal search warrants at Lee’s residence and property located in Walton County, Florida. Inside the residence, law enforcement located and seized approximately 466.5 grams of methamphetamine, a digital scale, and approximately $23,419 in U.S. Currency.
Lee’s imprisonment will be followed by ten years of supervised release.
The case resulted from a joint investigation by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Ryan Love.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.