Crack Dealer Sentenced To Six Years In Federal Prison

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Henry L. Adams today sentenced Darrick “Block” Stafford (41, Jacksonville) to six years in federal prison for selling crack cocaine and for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Stafford had pleaded guilty on May 30, 2018. 

According to court documents, Stafford participated in a series of firearms sales to an undercover special agent and a confidential informant working for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The weapons included a stolen firearm and assault-style rifles with high-capacity magazines. Stafford also sold the undercover agent powder cocaine and crack cocaine. 

When Stafford was arrested by detectives from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, they located a loaded .45-caliber pistol hidden under the hood of the car that he had been driving. As a previously convicted felon for offenses including robbery and firearms violations, Stafford is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. 

This case was investigated by the ATF and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In October 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to develop districtwide crime reduction strategies, incorporating the lessons learned since the program’s inception in 2001. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.