Gainesville, Florida – Quardarell Henry Robinson, 38, of Gainesville, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, and marijuana and possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the plea.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Thanks to the excellent investigative work of our federal law enforcement partners, and this successful prosecution by my office, this armed drug trafficker has been taken off our streets. Anyone peddling drugs and violence in my district will face the full might of the Department of Justice.”
Court documents reflect that in February 2026, the defendant threw a handbag and a loaded pistol outside of his vehicle while attempting to evade law enforcement. The handbag was recovered and found to contain over 140 grams of cocaine, cocaine base, individually packaged marijuana bags, other baggies, and an electronic scale. Law enforcement also recovered a handgun in the area where defendant’s vehicle had stopped, which had been captured by nearby commercial business surveillance cameras. Later, a search warrant was executed at the defendant’s residence, where law enforcement recovered a loaded handgun and cookware that contained cocaine base.
Robinson faces a minimum of five years’ imprisonment, and up to life imprisonment.
Sentencing is scheduled before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor, in Gainesville, Florida, on November 23, 2026, at 10:30 a.m.
The plea was the result of a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Adam Hapner and James McCain.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities .
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.