JACKSONVILLE - A 35-year-old Georgia man already serving a federal prison term for a prior drug conspiracy used a contraband cellphone to direct a multi-kilogram fentanyl trafficking operation that funneled drugs into Jacksonville, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
Daniel Don Juan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced. Don Juan faces a minimum sentence of 15 years and up to life in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
The case broke open when agents from Homeland Security Investigations in Jacksonville were contacted by HSI agents in Savannah about a traffic stop conducted by the Turner County Georgia Sheriff’s Office. A co-conspirator had been pulled over for a traffic violation, and a drug-detection dog alerted officers to the vehicle. A subsequent search turned up approximately seven kilograms of fentanyl.
Agents determined the co-conspirator was transporting the drugs from Lawrenceville, Georgia, to Jacksonville on Don Juan’s orders. Court records show Don Juan instructed the co-conspirator to meet an individual at a store in Lawrenceville to pick up “7 pieces” — later determined to mean the seven kilograms of fentanyl. A male arrived in a separate vehicle and placed a box containing the drugs in the back of the co-conspirator’s vehicle. Don Juan then provided specific instructions on the route to Jacksonville, a meeting location, and information about the person who would receive the delivery.
Agents learned the co-conspirator had made several prior trips to deliver drugs for Don Juan, including within the Middle District of Florida. The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Florida Highway Patrol, the Turner County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys John Cannizarro and Elisibeth Adams are prosecuting the case.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative targeting illegal immigration, cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and violent crime. Don Juan’s sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled in federal court in Jacksonville.