Panama City Felon Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison for Armed Drug Trafficking Crimes (DOJ)

Tallahassee, Florida - Matthew Lee Keith, 41, of Panama City, Florida, was sentenced to seventeen years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "Keeping our communities safe requires us to remove serial offenders, like this defendant, from our streets for extended periods of time. My office is up to the task, and this successful prosecution is yet another win under the Department of Justice's Operation Take Back America initiative. As President Donald J. Trump has made clear, the American people deserve safe, crime-free streets, and that is exactly what my office and our state and federal law enforcement partners will deliver with more cases like this."

Court documents reflect that in August 2024, as part of an ongoing drug investigation, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle occupied by the defendant in Panama City, Florida. During the traffic stop, a trained K-9 unit alerted to the presence of drugs within the vehicle, and a subsequent search yielded fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, alprazolam, a loaded handgun, as well as other items indicative of drug distribution. The defendant is a serial felon with numerous prior felony convictions for crimes including tampering with a witness, carrying a concealed weapon, battery, trafficking methamphetamine, unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of heroin, and possession of cocaine.

The case involved a joint investigation by the Bay County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric K. Mountin.

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.