Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Akil Jabari Walden, 36, of Havana, FL, was sentenced yesterday to three years in state prison, followed by five years of probation, after entering a plea of nolo contendere to possession of trafficking quantities of cocaine, 9 grams of marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.

Walden was arrested on July 7, 2022, after he was pulled over on I-75 in Alachua County for illegal window tint and an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy found almost nine pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of $399,100. Walden had two previous felony convictions.

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The plea deal notes that the maximum sentence for the charges is 32 years, and the trafficking charge has a mandatory minimum sentence of three years.

Judge William Davis accepted the deal and sentenced Walden to three years in prison on the cocaine trafficking charge, followed by five years of probation; on the two lesser charges, he sentenced Walden to two days in prison with credit for two days served. Judge Davis added a note that “The Court recommends a low-risk facility.”