Gainesville man sentenced to federal prison for carrying multiple firearms while selling drugs

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Kendrick J. Hills Jr., 23, was sentenced to over five years in prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute marijuana and carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said, “My office is committed to backing up our brave men and women of law enforcement on the front lines of this battle against drugs and violence in our communities. We will continue to deliver successful prosecutions like this as part of the Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America to ensure our streets are safe and our communities are drug-free.”

Hills’ arrest

At about 9:25 p.m. on March 12, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop in the 400 block of NW 75th Street for failing to stop at a stop sign, a suspected window tint violation, and impeding the flow of traffic by driving below the speed limit.

The deputy reported smelling green, unburnt marijuana when standing near Hills, and Hills said he did not have a medical marijuana card.

An ASO K-9 team was deployed around the exterior of the vehicle, and the K-9 provided an alert, giving deputies probable cause to search the vehicle.

Click here to watch ASO’s video of the arrest.

The search produced a stolen Glock 19 on the floorboard that was within reach of the driver and not in a holster; a Glock 23 with a 22-round extended magazine under the driver’s seat, also not in a holster; about 352 grams of marijuana, packaged into 13 separate bags; other bags that contained marijuana “shake”; a digital scale; and empty zipper bags.

A search incident to arrest produced two pills in Hills’s pocket, which he reportedly identified as Percocet but had no prescription, and about $8,000 in cash.

Post Miranda, Hills reportedly admitted to possessing both firearms and said the marijuana, Percocet, cash, and other items were his. He later admitted that he possessed the firearms to protect himself, including protecting himself from the risk of drug-related robberies.

Sheriff Chad Scott: “Alachua County will not tolerate drug distribution and the armed criminal behavior that so often accompanies it.”

“This case is an example of the proactive work our deputies do every day to identify criminal activity before it escalates into something even more dangerous,” said Alachua County Sheriff Chad D. Scott. “Through strong partnerships with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Attorney’s Office, we are sending a clear message: Alachua County will not tolerate drug distribution and the armed criminal behavior that so often accompanies it.”

“I’m proud of the way our agents and officers from Alachua County Sheriff’s Office came together to bring this criminal to justice,” said DEA Tampa Field Division Special Agent in Charge Daniel Escobar. “We have great relationships with our North Florida law enforcement partners, and I look forward to our continued enforcement efforts together.”

The defendant’s imprisonment will be followed by a seven-year term of supervised release, meaning if he violates any of the conditions of his supervision, he will potentially face additional prison time.

The case involved a joint investigation by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Adam Hapner and James McCain.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, human and drug trafficking.