PENSACOLA, Fla. — A federal jury has convicted a couple and an adult son from DeFuniak Springs for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Philip Beck, 47, Florence Beck, 46, and Joshua Martinez, 27, of DeFuniak Springs, were found guilty by a federal jury in Pensacola last week. Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the guilty verdict following a four-day trial.
Trial testimony revealed on January 16, 2023, the DeFuniak Springs Police Department stopped a Ram truck operated by Philip Beck and reportedly discovered approximately 28 grams of methamphetamine.
On March 10, 2023, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service reported that it intercepted two packages mailed from California to addresses in Niceville and DeFuniak Springs, each containing approximately five pounds of methamphetamine.
Subsequent investigation revealed that Mr Beck and Mr Martinez were the intended recipients of the drug parcels, and Ms Beck was assisting them.
Sentencing is set for May 30, 2024, at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before the Honorable United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II. Philip Beck and Florence Beck face minimum mandatory sentences of 10 years in federal prison. Joshua Martinez, due to a prior conviction, faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years. The maximum sentence for each is life in prison.
This case resulted from a joint investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Walton County Sheriff’s Office, the DeFuniak Springs Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Walter Narramore prosecuted the case.