PENSACOLA — A federal grand jury has indicted three men on methamphetamine distribution and money laundering conspiracy charges, with two of the defendants hailing from California and a third from the Florida Panhandle, U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin announced.

Marcus Dewayne Gulley, 53, and Tristian R. Harris, 38, both of Hesperia, California, along with Monteles Terrell Burden, 40, of Crestview, Florida, each face one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of conspiracy to utilize a telephone facility to commit the drug distribution conspiracy, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The methamphetamine distribution conspiracy count alone carries a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and up to life imprisonment. The money laundering conspiracy count carries up to 20 years’ imprisonment, and the telephone facility conspiracy count carries up to 4 years’ imprisonment.

All three defendants appeared for arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Hope Thai Cannon in Pensacola. The case was jointly investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service — the latter’s involvement suggesting the distribution network relied at least in part on the U.S. mail system. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton is prosecuting the case.

The indictment falls under Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative aimed at eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protecting communities from violent crime and drug trafficking. The cross-country nature of the alleged conspiracy — linking Hesperia, California, to Crestview, a city of roughly 25,000 in Okaloosa County — illustrates the reach of methamphetamine distribution networks into Northwest Florida communities.

“An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated. “All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.”

Jury trial is scheduled for May 18, 2026, before District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell II in Pensacola.