Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Johntavious Tiller, 31, of Wewahitchka, Florida, was sentenced to ten years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release after being convicted at jury trial of possession with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and pleading guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. The sentence was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

“I am proud of our federal, state, and local partners for their tireless efforts to keep us safe and serve a critical role in our efforts to remove addictive and deadly controlled substances from our communities,” stated U.S. Attorney Coody. “We will continue to support the efforts our law enforcement partners as we work together to investigate and prosecute criminals bringing drugs into North Florida.”

On September 21, 2019, officers of the Panama City Police Department arrested Tiller after discovering nine small baggies of methamphetamine, a small baggie of heroin, a small digital scale, and a .45 caliber pistol during a traffic stop.

After bonding out of state custody, Tiller was arrested on October 29, 2019, by officers of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in possession of 31 small baggies of cocaine and a .44 caliber revolver.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives adopted the case for federal prosecution and conducted additional investigation. Tiller had eleven prior felony convictions, including multiple convictions for drug and firearm offenses. Tiller had only been out of prison for six months at the time of the September 21, 2019, offense. Tiller was determined to qualify as a Career Offender, which provided for an enhanced sentence.

This sentencing resulted from the collaborative work of the Panama City Police Department, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the Panama City Beach Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

As part of its PSN strategy, the United States Attorney’s Office is encouraging everyone to lock their car doors, particularly at night. Burglaries from unlocked automobiles are a significant source of guns for criminals in the Northern District of Florida. Please do your part and protect yourself by locking your car doors.

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 Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html