PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Timothy Donail Knight, 25, of Pensacola, Florida, has been indicted in federal court on one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl, one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges.
Knight appeared on February 10, 2026, before United States Magistrate Judge Hope T. Cannon for his initial appearance at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida. Trial is scheduled for March 16, 2026, before District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II.
If convicted, Knight faces a minimum mandatory of 5 years’ imprisonment, and up to 40 years’ imprisonment, on the possession with intent to distribute fentanyl count; up to 15 years’ imprisonment on the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon count; and a minimum mandatory 5 years’ imprisonment, and up to life imprisonment, on the possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense count consecutive to other sentences imposed.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshals Service, and the Pensacola Police Department, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
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, human and drug trafficking.
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.