United States Drug Enforcement Administration

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Richard Earl Carroll, 55, of Hilliard, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Carroll had pleaded guilty on July 26, 2019.

According to court documents, multiple witnesses identified Carroll as a methamphetamine supplier in Nassau County. During the execution of two separate search warrants at Carroll’s home, state and federal law enforcement officers seized methamphetamine, assorted prescription pills (including hydrocodone and Xanax), marijuana plants and baggies containing marijuana, and 24 firearms. During a post-arrest interview, Carroll admitted to obtaining more than 500 grams of methamphetamine from a source to sell to his customers. He also admitted that, at times, he traded the drugs to his customers for firearms.

Carroll’s sentencing follows a series of related state and federal drug prosecutions involving the distribution of methamphetamine, including Billy Crayton Skinner, 43, of Hilliard – sentenced to 37 months in federal prison on September 9, 2019; and Thomas A. Crews, 45, of Hilliard – sentenced to 29 months in federal prison in 2017. 

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Jacksonville District Office, the Nassau County Sherriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  It was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

More information about this case can be found at https://www.flmd.uscourts.gov or https://ecf.flmd.uscourts.gov.