Federal Guilty Plea by Armed Tallahassee Drug Trafficker

Tallahassee, Florida – Marlo G. Davis, 47, of Tallahassee, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base, carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. 

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Thanks to the excellent investigative work by the Tallahassee Police Department, and this successful prosecution by my office, we will ensure this serial felon is kept locked away in federal prison for continuing to victimize our community with his criminality. By now it should be abundantly clear that my office is committed to aggressively prosecuting anyone who dares to violate the law in our community, and we will deliver the safe, drug-free streets that our citizens deserve by keeping dangerous felons, like this defendant, behind federal bars where they belong.”

Court documents reflect that officers with the Tallahassee Police Department were conducting surveillance when they saw the defendant and his brother get into a vehicle.  The defendant’s brother did not have a valid driver’s license, so they conducted a traffic stop, during which the defendant fled from the vehicle on foot. 

Officers chased the defendant and saw him remove a bag from around his chest while he was running:

Officers ultimately caught the defendant and retrieved the bag he discarded during the chase, which was found to contain a Taurus 9-millimeter pistol and drug paraphernalia.

Inside the vehicle, officers found multiple baggies of white powder concealed within an ice cream pint container; a bag containing crack cocaine; and two other sandwich baggies containing white powder. There were a total of 39 bags containing a total of 3.4 grams of alpha-PV10 (a synthetic cathinone).  Another eight bags were found to contain a total of 3.9 grams of cocaine. In the larger bags, there were 2.5 grams of alpha-PV10, 13.1 grams of crack cocaine, and 1.2 grams of powder cocaine. The defendant made post-Miranda admissions that he was selling drugs and a review of material from his cellphone found multiple photographs of the same ice cream tub found in the car, including photographs of crack cocaine with the ice cream tub lid visible in the background.

The defendant is a convicted felon who faces an enhanced sentence because of prior convictions for robbery, two separate incidents of possession of cocaine with intent to sell, and trafficking in both hydrocodone and oxycodone. Based on his prior convictions, the defendant faces between 20 years’ to life imprisonment.

Sentencing is scheduled for December 10, 2026, at 2:00 pm, in the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before United States District Judge Mark E. Walker.

The case involved an investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

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, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.