Two Destin Men Sentenced to Federal prison for Drug Conspiracy

June 1, 2017

Pensacola, FL – Two Destin men have been found guilty and sentenced to Federal prison for Drug Conspiracy.

In March, 21 year old Benjamin Guerrero-Lantz pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana, as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was sentenced on May 31, 2017 to 65 months in prison.

Co-defendant Andres A. Barrios, 27, also of Destin, was sentenced on May 18, 2017, to 120 months in prison. In March, he pled guilty to both conspiracy charges and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Barrios and Guerrero-Lantz were funneling proceeds of a California-based drug trafficking operation through at least eight bank accounts containing more than $350,000, and illicitly obtained dozens of $500 money orders and multiple vehicles under nominee names.

In July 2016, law enforcement officers searched Guerrero-Lantz’s condominium after receiving complaints about the smell of marijuana. They found $17,000 in cash, handwritten ledgers recording drug debts, marijuana, vacuum-sealed bags, money order receipts, and vehicle titles. Guerrero-Lantz’s vehicle contained additional money order receipts and a bank transaction receipt for $9,000.

In December 2016, Guerrero-Lantz and others were stopped in Jackson, Mississippi, with more than $10,000 in cash, bank deposit slips, money orders, and cellular telephones. Law enforcement searched a Destin residence where they found Barrios.

Inside, they found 13 one pound bags of marijuana, more than $10,000 in cash, and other evidence of the drug trafficking conspiracy. Barrios also possessed a firearm and body armor.

This case resulted from an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Pensacola Police Department; and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.