Evergreen Reporter

U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Mitchell Wilson, 35, of Tampa, to 20 years and 8 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Wilson to forfeit a Smith & Wesson Model M&P Shield 9mm pistol and assorted ammunition used in the offense. Wilson entered a guilty plea on November 22, 2023.

According to court documents, Wilson was a major narcotics distributor in the Middle District of Florida. On September 13, 2022, he sold fentanyl to a confidential source. Three days later, agents seized 97 grams of pure methamphetamine, 36 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl and cocaine, along with a scale from a backpack that also contained a loaded firearm as Wilson carried it from his hotel room to his car.

Wilson acknowledged sourcing more than two kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine from a drug trafficking organization in Palmetto Beach over the previous ten months after being released from prison in August 2021. During his arrest, he was found with a drug ledger and hundreds of dollars in cash. He had maintained premises at a hotel room used for preparing narcotics for distribution.

At the time of his arrest, Wilson had multiple prior felony convictions including four prior drug trafficking offenses and fleeing to elude conviction.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha E. Beckman.

The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation aimed at identifying, disrupting, and dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States using an intelligence-driven multi-agency approach.