Travaess McLemore, a 41-year-old resident of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, has pleaded guilty to distributing methamphetamine. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated: “Thanks to the outstanding work of our state and federal law enforcement partners, another drug dealer has been removed from our streets. The residents of the Northern District of Florida deserve to live in safe, drug-free communities, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute anyone attempting to flood our streets with deadly drugs to achieve that outcome.”
According to court documents, on August 13, 2025, deputies from the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office stopped McLemore’s vehicle. A police canine detected narcotics during the stop, leading officers to search the car and find 84 grams of methamphetamine. On the same day, authorities executed a search warrant at McLemore’s home and found about 1,548 grams of methamphetamine.
McLemore has a previous conviction for a serious drug offense. Because of this prior record, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and could be sentenced up to life imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for February 10, 2026, at 10:00 am before United States District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell II.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey M. Tharp is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative created under Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF brings together multiple government agencies to target criminal cartels and transnational organizations operating within and outside U.S. borders. The task force emphasizes investigations into crimes involving children and uses all available tools to prosecute violent criminal aliens.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida serves as one of 94 offices across the country representing federal interests under guidance from the Attorney General. Public court records can be accessed through the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website, while additional information about this office is available at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
