PENSACOLA MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR DRUG TRAFFICKING AND MONEY LAUNDERING CRIMES

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Rayvaughn L. Andrews, 41, of Pensacola, Florida, pled guilty in federal court to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and money laundering offenses. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Those who think they can profit and live lavish lifestyles off drug trafficking in the Northern District of Florida are sorely mistaken, and will soon find themselves in federal prison.  Fulfilling the promise of President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America, my office is fully committed to working with our brave federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to identify and aggressively pursue drug traffickers to ensure those who flood our communities with dangerous drugs are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

Court documents reveal that, from 2021 until his arrest in late-2024, Andrews conspired with others to distribute large amounts of cocaine in interstate commerce.  The kilogram “brick” quantities of cocaine ended up on the streets of Escambia County, Florida.  Using money obtained through his drug trafficking activities, Andrews laundered the illicitly derived cash through various casinos in Mississippi and Nevada. This included approximately $10 million of cocaine sale proceeds.   

Andrews faces up to life imprisonment as well as the forfeiture of approximately $40,000 in United States currency and a Chevrolet Corvette seized during his arrest.  

The case involved a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Pensacola Police Department, and the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David L. Goldberg and Jessica S. Etherton.

Sentencing is scheduled for September 23, 2025, at 9:00 am at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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 http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.