PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Marcel Kamill Mickles, 49, of Pensacola, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of distribution of cocaine; possession with intent to distribute cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other controlled substances; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Thanks to the excellent work of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, in close collaboration with our federal law enforcement partners, this serial felon has been stopped before he can continue terrorizing our communities and flooding our streets with more deadly drugs. This is exactly the kind of case Operation Take Back America was launched for, as President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi committed the full might of the Department of Justice toward eliminating the threats to our communities from violent, drug-peddling criminals like this defendant. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute violent drug traffickers until our residents get the safe, drug-free communities they deserve.”
Court documents reflect that Mickles distributed cocaine in May and June of 2025. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Mickles’ Pensacola residence in June 2025, during which they found five loaded firearms, a bulletproof vest, multiple bags of controlled substances including cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, and other drug distribution-related items. Mickles is a multi-time convicted felon, and was therefore prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
Based on prior convictions, Mickles faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, and a maximum of life imprisonment.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton.
Sentencing for Mickles is scheduled for May 19, 2026, at 9:00am, at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida 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.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl .
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Northern District of Florida — U.S. Department of Justice press release.