Cocaine distributor comes clean
A Pensacola, Florida man has confessed to federal charges of money laundering and “conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine.”
admitted to laundering $10m in narcotic sales
United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida John P. Heekin announced on Friday that Rayvaughn Andrews, 41, admitted to laundering approximately $10m in narcotic sales via casinos in Mississippi and Nevada.
Heekin took to X to share news of Andrews’ confession:
According to the feds, Andrews admitted his role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of cocaine in Florida’s Escambia County from 2021 through late 2024.
Not careful enough
According to court documents, Andrews attempted to keep his illicit business under the radar by using a careful modus operandi. The suspect would buy casino chips with cash from his drug sales, only going over a $10,000 transaction limit twice over his three-year operation.
Evidence of Andrews’ meticulous approach is clear from court documents. In 2023 alone, the Floridian purchased casino chips with cash at Harrah’s on 94 occasions.
In keeping under the $10k threshold, Andrews avoided the casinos’ legal requirement to report his transactions to the federal Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).
Despite Andrews’ careful approach, the law finally caught up to him. In a statement announcing Andrews’ guilty plea, the DOJ’s Heekin warned other criminals not to think they can “profit and live lavish lifestyles off drug trafficking” in his Florida jurisdiction.
Long time coming
Those who believe they can get away with it, continued Heekin, “are sorely mistaken, and will soon find themselves in federal prison.”
Andrews faces the maximum penalty of life in prison, plus the forfeiture of a Chevrolet supercar and around $40,000 cash seized during the suspected felon’s arrest.
