Prior Felon Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Firearm Offenses
Pensacola, Fla. – Scott Oranje, 52, of Mary Esther, Fla., pleaded guilty in federal court to possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
“Mr. Oranje was caught with 300 grams of fentanyl, approximately 150,000 potential deadly doses,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Daniel Escobar, Tampa Field Division. “Our North Florida communities will be safer with this criminal off the streets.”
The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney John Heekin said: “Fentanyl has had an absolutely devastating impact on our communities for several years, which is why President Donald J. Trump recently designated the exceptionally deadly drug a Weapon of Mass Destruction. Identifying, targeting, and incapacitating the peddlers of this poison on our streets remains a top priority for my office. We will continue to deliver successful prosecutions like this one to fulfill the promise made by President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi when they launched Operation Take Back America to devote the full might of the Department of Justice toward dismantling the drug trafficking operations that have plagued our communities for far too long.”
Court documents reflect that on November 10, 2025, law enforcement officers intercepted a package addressed to Oranje’s residence. The package contained over 300 grams of fentanyl. Law enforcement conducted a controlled delivery at Oranje’s residence. Oranje took possession of the package and entered his condominium. Shortly thereafter, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on the residence. Oranje did not answer the door requiring officers to breach the door. Following the breach of the front door, Oranje fled through the back patio, in possession of the fentanyl. Oranje was taken into custody. Law enforcement searched the residence and located a digital scale, various narcotics paraphernalia, owe sheets, and multiple firearms. Oranje had previously been convicted of First-Degree Residential Robbery and sentenced to state prison in California on or about July 30, 2018.
Oranje faces consecutive minimum mandatory sentences of five years’ imprisonment on Counts 1 and 2, for a total minimum mandatory sentence of ten years, and up to a maximum of life imprisonment. A term of imprisonment could be followed by up to a five-year term of supervised release. Thus, if Oranje were to violate any conditions of his release, he could potentially face an additional period of incarceration related to violating his supervision.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher C. Patterson is prosecuting the case.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 29, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
