Okaloosa man sentenced for drug trafficking, firearm offenses

FLORIDA – An Okaloosa County man has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for drug trafficking and firearm offenses, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida has announced.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida (USAO), Kendall Ivan Brown, 41, of Okaloosa County, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

“I am proud of our federal, state, and local partners for their tireless efforts to keep us safe and serve a critical role in our efforts to remove addictive and deadly controlled substances from our communities,” said Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

“We will continue to support the efforts our law enforcement partners as we work together to investigate and prosecute criminals bringing drugs into North Florida.”

According to the USAO, in August 2021, U.S. Postal Inspectors identified multiple packages shipped from Puerto Rico to addresses in Okaloosa County, Florida, over several months, reportedly containing large quantities of cocaine.

Working with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration, investigators were allegedly able to identify Brown as the recipient and determine that he was receiving the packages at several different addresses in Fort Walton Beach, Shalimar, and Crestview, the USAO said.

On November 16, 2021, investigators executed search warrants at three locations associated with Brown and reportedly discovered over eight kilograms of cocaine.  At one of the locations, the cocaine was concealed with a loaded Sig Sauer 9mm pistol, the USAO said.

This case resulted from a joint investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Walter Narramore prosecuted the case.