Three Charged in Federal Drug Distribution & Money Laundering Conspiracies

Pensacola, Florida - Marcus Dewayne Gulley, 53, and Tristian R. Harris, 38, both of Hesperia, California, and Monteles Terrell Burden, 40, of Crestview, Florida, have been indicted in federal court for one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of conspiracy to utilize a telephone facility to commit the charged drug distribution conspiracy, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charges.

Gulley, Burden, and Harris appeared in federal court for their arraignments before United States Magistrate Judge Hope Thai Cannon, in Pensacola, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for May 18, 2026, before District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II in Pensacola, Florida.

If convicted as charged, the defendants each face a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years' imprisonment, and up to life imprisonment, on the conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine count. They face up to 20 years' imprisonment on the money laundering conspiracy count and up to four years' imprisonment for conspiracy to utilize a telephone facility.

The case was jointly investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

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.

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 the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of FloridaLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. website. For more information about the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.