MIAMI – A Mexican national made his initial appearance in federal court in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 17 after law enforcement recovered more than 50,000 fentanyl pills concealed inside a child’s toy. According to the complaint affidavit, officers approached a vehicle driven by Guillermo Higuera German, 37. During a consensual...

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – David Kennedy, 41; Michael McQueen, 51; and Roosevelt Jones, 52, of Milton, Fla., were sentenced to federal prison for trafficking in controlled substances in Santa Rosa County, Fla. The sentences were announced by John P. Heekin, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. “Working with our...

Orlando, Fla. – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton has sentenced Joel David Fonseca Flores (45, Orlando) to 32 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl that resulted in death, possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking...

MIAMI – On Jan. 30, 2025, a federal district judge in West Palm Beach, Fla., sentenced Anthony Raul Del Valle, 29, of Lake Worth Beach, Fla., to 10 years in federal prison. The sentence comes after a federal jury found Del Valle guilty of distributing acetyl fentanyl and fentanyl and...

TAMPA, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Jorge Hernan Gonzalez-Ortiz, 50, of Colombia, and Carlos Andres Aldana-Gil, 43, also of Colombia, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States. Each faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. A sentencing date...

Orlando, Fla. – Senior U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell has sentenced Jackie Jamal Hines, 47, of Melbourne, Fla., to 10 years in federal prison for possessing with intent to distribute multiple kilograms of cocaine. Hines pleaded guilty on May 30, 2024. According to court documents, a traffic stop was...

Orlando, Fla. – U.S. District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Luis Miguel Plaza, 34 of Orlando, to 10 years in federal prison for distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl. Plaza entered a guilty plea on July 24, 2024. According to court documents, the Drug Enforcement Administration...

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Matias Sanchez Cardosa, Jr. (53, Orlando) to 14 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Cardosa entered a guilty plea on June 10, 2024. According to court documents, on March...

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Antoine D. Wilson, 41, currently incarcerated in Yazoo City, Mississippi, was found guilty by a federal jury for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and conspiracy to use communication facility to facilitate a drug trafficking offense. The guilty...

FORT MYERS, Fla. – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that Durand Dijuon Demetiu Colbert (34, Fort Myers) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Colbert faces a minimum...