A Tallahassee resident, Triston Chacoey Aric Johnson, 21, has pleaded guilty in federal court to several firearm and drug trafficking charges. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
According to court documents, Johnson admitted to being an unlawful user of controlled substances in possession of a firearm and ammunition, possessing oxycodone and marijuana with intent to distribute, possessing a short-barreled rifle in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and possessing ammunition as an unlawful user of controlled substances.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated, “I applaud the excellent coordination of our state, local, and federal law enforcement partners in their detection and investigation of these crimes. My office is committed to fulfilling the promise of President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America by aggressively pursuing and prosecuting armed drug traffickers, and I deeply appreciate the outstanding work of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to keep drugs off our streets.”
The plea relates to incidents on two dates. On October 1, 2023, Johnson fled from a Florida A&M University (FAMU) police officer. Surveillance video showed him hiding a purple bag near a car. The next day, a FAMU employee found both a firearm and the purple bag. Inside were another firearm, marijuana packaged for sale, mushrooms, a digital scale with marijuana residue, and Johnson’s credit and debit cards.
On July 17, 2024, Johnson became involved in an early morning argument with another individual; both were armed. Johnson shot the other person in the heart. The other individual fired back but accidentally struck his girlfriend multiple times as Johnson fled.
After this homicide incident, authorities executed a search warrant at Johnson’s apartment where they found loose oxycodone pills; about 1.4 pounds of marijuana; more than 25 empty vacuum seal bags with marijuana residue; various types of ammunition; and a short-barreled rifle previously stolen from a Leon County Sheriff’s Office vehicle.
Johnson faces at least ten years in prison up to life imprisonment.
The investigation was conducted by the Tallahassee Police Department along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and FAMU Department of Campus Safety and Security. Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain is prosecuting the case.
Sentencing is set for November 17, 2025 at 10:00 am before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), which aims to use all available resources from the Department of Justice against illegal immigration as well as organized crime groups while protecting communities from violent crime. The operation draws on efforts from programs such as OCDETFs (Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
As part of its Project Safe Neighborhood strategy, officials are urging residents to lock their vehicles—especially overnight—to help prevent gun thefts that often occur through burglaries involving unlocked cars within Northern Florida.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida serves as one of 94 offices representing principal litigators nationwide under direction from the Attorney General. Additional information can be found on their official website: http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
