Jarrel Daniel Rivaz, a 35-year-old resident of Panama City, was convicted by a federal jury on charges related to drug trafficking and illegal firearms possession. The announcement came from John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated: “Fulfilling the promise of President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America from violent criminals and drug traffickers requires close collaboration between our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners like we saw in this case. I am deeply appreciative of the outstanding work of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the ATF to get this criminal off our streets, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases to keep our communities safe from the predations of drug traffickers like this defendant.”
The trial evidence revealed that on December 21, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Rivaz’s residence in Panama City. They discovered over 900 grams of cocaine, a significant amount of marijuana, two firearms, and ammunition. One firearm was loaded and stored with some marijuana in a locked shed. Rivaz had a prior felony conviction for drug trafficking in New York under the alias “Gerald Walker.”
Rivaz is scheduled for sentencing on October 16, 2025, at 10 a.m., before United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell II in Pensacola. He faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment with a potential maximum sentence of life.
The verdict resulted from an investigation conducted by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant United States Attorneys Ward Narramore and Alicia Forbes are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aiming to combat illegal immigration, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect communities from violent crime perpetrators.
For more information about public court documents or details about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit their respective websites.
