A 47-year-old Gainesville man was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of drugs with intent to sell and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to a Northern District of Florida U.S. Attorney’s Office press release sent Monday, Eric Shirone Thompson, 47, was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Thompson’s residence on Feb. 1, 2024, and found Thompson attempting to flush fentanyl down a toilet. While searching his residence, law enforcement also located two loaded firearms and drug paraphernalia consistent with drug dealing, including cooking utensils and baggies with cocaine residue. The investigation revealed that Thompson conspired with other individuals to possess and distribute cocaine, marijuana, and “molly.”
“My office is dedicated to making our community the safest place to live and raise children,” said U.S. Attorney John Heekin in the press release. “Today’s sentence is another achievement in furtherance of that objective. But we will not stop here. We will continue to aggressively prosecute armed drug traffickers like Mr. Thompson who present a danger to the health and safety of our community until all drug trafficking organizations in our community are dismantled and eliminated.”
The conviction and sentence were the result of a joint investigation by the Gainesville Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Hapner.
“This case and subsequent federal prosecution sends a clear message: we will not tolerate drug trafficking in our community. We remain committed to working with our federal partners to hold offenders accountable and protect the safety of our residents,” said Gainesville Police Chief Nelson Moya in the press release.