TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)), published as received.
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Bertram Jerrell Williams, 50, of Marianna, Florida, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on April 16, 2025, and pleading guilty to possession of contraband by a federal prisoner on November 13, 2025. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I commend the outstanding work by our federal law enforcement partners to stop this offender from flooding our communities with deadly poison, and his subsequent attempt to smuggle drugs into federal prison. President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi have made a promise through Operation Take Back America to deploy the full power of the Department of Justice to incapacitate the drug traffickers flooding our streets with poison, and my office will continue to deliver successful prosecutions like this to fulfill that promise.”
According to court records, on March 7, 2024, the defendant sold over 80 grams of methamphetamine during an undercover law enforcement operation. The defendant was taken into federal custody for that offense in July 2024. While he was held at the Federal Detention Center in Tallahassee, Florida, the defendant was caught attempting to smuggle drug contraband into the facility after a visitation session he had on April 13, 2025. Bureau of Prison (BOP) staff searched the defendant’s left boot, where they discovered two, cylinder shaped plastic tubes that were found to contain marijuana and synthetic marijuana.
“Not only does methamphetamine destroy an individual’s health, it destroys families and communities,” said DEA Miami Field Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Kevin Bobbitt. “We’ve made numerous seizures of this poison—particularly in the Pan Handle region of Florida. We will not stop until these criminals are brought to justice.”
The convictions and sentence were the result of a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. The cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Eric Welch and Jessica Etherton.
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.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit theU.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
