Pensacola Violent Felon Convicted of Drug Trafficking Charges
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – A federal jury convicted Michael Joe Green, II, 49, of Pensacola, of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and the distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine. The guilty verdict, returned today at the conclusion of a four-day trial, was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
In July 2021, the United States Postal Inspection Service seized a package sent from Houston, Texas, to Pensacola, Florida containing over two kilograms of cocaine. An extended multi-agency investigation determined that Green had purchased certain unique packing materials used to ship the cocaine and directed his girlfriend to mail it to his mother’s address in Pensacola on his behalf. The investigation also revealed that during late 2021 and early 2022, Green made frequent trips to the Houston area to obtain large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine and directed the transport of the drugs back to the Pensacola area for distribution.
In February 2022, Green was driving from Houston in tandem rental vehicles with his wife and others when both cars were stopped by law enforcement in Louisiana. Officers found and seized approximately eight pounds of cocaine and over half a kilogram of methamphetamine pills in the rental vehicle occupied by Green’s wife. On the same day, search warrants were executed at two residences in Escambia County associated with Green. Loaded firearms, small amounts of drugs, and documents addressed to Green at both residences were found in the houses.
Sentencing in this case is set for May 22, 2023, at 9:00 a.m., at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers. Due to the large quantity of drugs involved in his crimes and his multiple prior serious violent felony convictions—including armed burglary, armed robbery, aggravated assault, shooting in an occupied vehicle, resisting arrest with violence, and aggravated battery with great bodily harm, for which he served a sentence in state prison – Green faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 25 years and a maximum of life in prison.
This case resulted from a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshals Service, and Lake Charles (Louisiana) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David L. Goldberg and Jennifer H. Callahan prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
As part of its PSN strategy, the United States Attorney’s Office is encouraging everyone to lock their car doors, particularly at night. Burglaries from unlocked automobiles are a significant source of guns for criminals in the Northern District of Florida. Please do your part and protect yourself by locking your car doors.
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.
