GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Quardarell Henry Robinson, 38, has pleaded guilty to federal charges involving possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine and marijuana, as well as possessing a firearm in connection with a drug-trafficking offense. John P. Heekin, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the plea.
“Through the outstanding investigative efforts of our federal law enforcement partners and the successful prosecution by my office, this armed drug trafficker has been removed from our streets,” U.S. Attorney Heekin said. “Those who bring drugs and violence into my district will face the full force of the Department of Justice.”
Details of the arrest
According to court records, DEA agents were monitoring Robinson’s apartment at The Reserve at Kanapaha, located at 4440 SW Archer Road, around noon on February 23. Investigators saw Robinson leave the property and get into a pickup truck while carrying a small black handbag.
DEA agents followed the pickup onto SW 41st Boulevard, also known as Fred Bear Drive, before it entered Fred Bear Archery at 4600 SW 41st Blvd. At approximately 1:02 p.m., a Florida Highway Patrol trooper stopped the vehicle in a felony traffic stop and took Robinson into custody.
Investigators searching a wooded area behind the Bear Archery parking lot reportedly found a black Glock 22 loaded with 10 rounds.
A witness parked along the west shoulder of Fred Bear Road, north of Bear Archery, told a DEA agent that a black object had been thrown from the truck’s passenger side shortly before the vehicle turned. The agent later located a small black handbag in a roadside ditch. Authorities said its size appeared consistent with the bag Robinson had been carrying when he entered the truck.
The handbag reportedly contained approximately 44.9 grams of crack cocaine, 1.5 grams of cocaine and 21 individual bags holding a combined 70 grams of marijuana. Investigators also found two larger bags containing about 17.2 grams of suspected marijuana, four additional industrial bags with approximately 20.2 grams of suspected marijuana, two gabapentin capsules, numerous empty baggies and a digital scale.
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Law enforcement later served a search warrant at Robinson’s residence. The search reportedly uncovered another loaded handgun and cookware containing cocaine base.
Robinson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and could receive up to life imprisonment.
Chief U.S. District Judge Allen C. Winsor is scheduled to sentence Robinson in Gainesville on November 23, 2026, at 10:30 a.m.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Hapner and James McCain are handling the prosecution.
The case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Justice Department’s nationwide strategy for bringing together federal, state, local and tribal authorities, prosecutors and community safety partners to reduce violent crime. Each of the nation’s 94 federal districts develops PSN efforts around its own public safety concerns. As part of Operation Take Back America, the initiative focuses on swift federal action against violent offenders, strong cooperation among law enforcement agencies and accountability through prosecution of serious, provable crimes. The department said these efforts also support and reinforce President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces in addressing major public safety threats.