Duval County Jury Finds Carter Guilty of Trafficking Drugs

State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces that a Duval County jury found Staffon Carter guilty of Trafficking in Substituted Cathinone; Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; Possession of Ammunition by Convicted Felon; Possession of a Controlled Substance; Driving while License is Suspended or Revoked; and Possession of Controlled Substance Paraphernalia. With the verdict, Carter faces up to 30 years in Florida State Prison. The Honorable London Kite will sentence Carter at a later date.

Around 3:30 a.m. July 9, 2023, an officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office witnessed a person drive away from a gas station on Lake Shore Boulevard and San Juan Avenue with dark window tint and the rear trunk open and unsecured. As the officer pulled behind the vehicle, the driver — Carter —stopped in the middle of the roadway causing the officer to come to an abrupt stop. The officer conducted a traffic stop and welfare check on the driver. Two officers on scene smelled burnt marijuana coming from the car and saw marijuana and ammunition inside the car. An officer conducted a probable cause search of the vehicle and found a loaded firearm, three magazines within reach of the driver, and a blue bag with substituted cathinone (bath salts/molly) inside. Carter was previously convicted of a felony and is therefore not legally allowed to possess a firearm. Carter is also a listed Habitual Traffic Offender and was driving with a suspended license.

The case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Katherina Brown and Shaina Ruth.