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.
Heekin credited the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office for their investigative work, saying it helped secure the successful prosecution. “This repeat offender sought to profit from the devastation caused by meth and other drugs,” Heekin said. “Now he’ll remain locked away in federal prison where he belongs.”
Authorities arrested Jones after an Alachua County deputy detained him for being in a park after hours. He was found with 284 grams of methamphetamine, as well as heroin and cocaine. Jones has remained in the Alachua County Jail since his July 20, 2025, arrest. He also has a previous conviction for amphetamine trafficking.
Jones faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and could receive a life sentence.
The prosecution resulted from a joint investigation involving the DEA and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christie Utt and Tyler Fleming are handling the case.
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Chief U.S. District Judge Allen C. Winsor is scheduled to sentence Jones on December 8, 2026, at the U.S. Courthouse in Gainesville.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative that combines federal resources to combat illegal immigration, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime, human trafficking and drug trafficking.