Man sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for firearms charges
A St. Petersburg man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to being in possession of crack cocaine and a firearm.
DaQuan Brooks, 23, pleaded guilty to knowingly possessing crack cocaine with intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking activity on Feb. 24, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven.
Brooks was arrested in Pasco County on Aug. 8, 2016, on a warrant for charges of domestic battery by strangulation. Pasco County Sheriff’s Deputies saw a firearm within plain view inside Brooks’ vehicle, and a further search of the car revealed approximately 45 grams of cocaine base in a plastic bag, along with a razor blade, which is commonly used to carve up chunks of crack cocaine for distribution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
A previously convicted felon, Brooks is prohibited from being in possession of a firearm or ammunition.
The case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program — a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy — and was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.
Sara Nealeigh: 941-745-7081, @saranealeigh
This story was originally published June 16, 2017 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Man sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for firearms charges."