CHOCTAW BEACH MAN SENTENCED TO FEDERAL PRISON FOR METH AND WEAPONS CHARGES
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PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – A Choctaw Beach man is sentenced to 120 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to methamphetamine and weapons charges.
Shaun Edward McBay, 51, will spend the next 10 years behind bars United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida Jason Coody announced Wednesday. McBay’s prison sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release.
On April 9, 2023, Okaloosa County Sheriff’s deputies seized 565 grams of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine from McBay during a traffic stop in Destin, Florida.
Eight days later, on April 17, 2023, the United States Marshals Task Force served a warrant on McBay at his residence on Darrell Court in Choctaw Beach when they discovered a shotgun under the suspect’s bed and numerous items of paraphernalia throughout the home. U.S. Marshals seized that weapon during the arrest.
As a result, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office VICE/Narcotics unit obtained a search warrant for the property, and eight additional firearms were discovered along with methamphetamine.
Seven total firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and 16.1 g of methamphetamine were seized by VICE/Narcotics Investigators along with a 2008 Yamaha R1 that McBay used to flee deputies on multiple occasions while in the commission of felonies within Walton County. Two air rifles were originally taken during the search warrant and inspected later.
“Methamphetamine distribution is a scourge on large and small communities of our district,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “With our dedicated law enforcement partners, we are committed to identifying and aggressively prosecuting those who threaten our citizens’ health and safety by distributing such addictive, controlled substances. This sentence acknowledges the defendant’s continued criminal conduct and sends a straightforward message that there are real and severe consequences for federal firearm and drug offenses.”
“Meth distribution doesn’t just devastate individuals. It devastates communities,” said Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden. Every time we partner together to take a meth dealer like Shaun McBay off our streets, we score a victory for the overall health, safety, and quality of life of our entire region.”
“I cannot stress enough the importance of good partnerships and how those translate into successful investigations, arrests, and prosecutions,” said Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson. “The result is getting dangerous drugs off the streets before they poison our community.”
“Our partnerships with local sheriff’s offices, and our state and federal partners make arrests like this one possible,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Miami Field Division Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter. “This person peddled dangerous substances that rip apart families and communities. Through our joint efforts, we were able to take him off the streets.”
McBay was sentenced after he was convicted of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.
This sentence is the result of a partnership with several organizations including the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and others with the Gulf Coast High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Task Force (HIDTA). Assistant United States Attorney J. Ryan Love prosecuted the case.
READ THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE:
READ THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY NORTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA PRESS RELEASE HERE:
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl/pr/prior-felon-sentenced-federal-prison-drug-possession-and-possession-firearms-and