Jamila Takiyah Hunter, 32, of Tallahassee, was convicted yesterday after a day-and-a-half trial on federal charges of possession with intent to distribute α-Pyrrolidinovalerophenone—better known on the street as Alpha-PVP, a synthetic cathinone often sold as ‘bath salts.’ The verdict, delivered in a packed U.S. District courtroom, marks the latest fall of a player in a drug ring that funneled kilogram quantities of the dangerous stimulant into North Florida.
The bust began in November 2016 when law enforcement intercepted a kilogram package of Alpha-PVP en route to a commercial UPS mailbox rented by Hunter. Acting swiftly, federal agents executed a controlled delivery. The moment Hunter signed for and took possession of the parcel, she was arrested on the spot. What followed was a chaotic scramble as her co-conspirators attempted to vanish—Travis L. Glasco fled the scene, abandoning his vehicle mid-traffic on Capital Circle during lunch hour, a move that only drew more heat from investigators.
Hunter’s four co-defendants—Travis L. Glasco, Charik James, Tyrail Gallman, and Dora Williams—had already pled guilty in late 2017 and early 2018. All five are now staring down a maximum of 20 years in prison for each controlled substance count. But Glasco faces far steeper consequences: a mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to life, for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and a minimum of 15 years, possibly life, for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
The superseding indictment that brought the entire group to justice was the result of painstaking coordination between multiple agencies. The investigation was led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tallahassee Police Department. Their combined efforts dismantled a network that relied on postal services to move deadly drugs under the radar.
Sentencing hearings are already set at the U.S. Courthouse in Tallahassee. Dora Williams is scheduled for February 23, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. Charik James and Tyrail Gallman will be sentenced April 20, 2018, at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., respectively. Glasco and Hunter face the judge on May 10, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Harwin and falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a federal initiative reinvigorated in October 2017 under former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. PSN aims to crush violent crime by uniting local, state, and federal law enforcement. As synthetic drugs like Alpha-PVP continue to flood communities, cases like Hunter’s serve as a stark reminder: federal prosecutors aren’t backing down.
Related Federal Cases
- Glenn D. Stewart, 37, Charged in Meth Trafficking Ring · Washington
- Lexington Gunman Admits to Drug Trafficking, Hostage Scare · South Carolina
- Fentanyl Ring Busted After Murfreesboro Overdose Wave · Florida
- Rachel Rangel Gets 8 Years for Heroin Trafficking Conspiracy · Alaska
- Derry Man Pleads Guilty in $1.2M Synthetic Cannabinoid Ring · New Hampshire
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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