A Gainesville man has pleaded guilty in federal court to multiple drug trafficking and firearms offenses following an investigation by federal and local law enforcement agencies.
According to a Northern District of Florida U.S. Attorney’s Office press release sent on Monday, Eddie Jerome Scott, 38, pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl; carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime; and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
“Time’s up for the armed drug traffickers in the Northern District of Florida who think they can flood our streets with narcotics and violence without consequence,” U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin said in the press release. “Through Operation Take Back America, the Department of Justice is devoting its full might toward removing these thugs from our streets to deliver the safe, drug-free communities our citizens deserve.”
According to court documents, Scott sold methamphetamine from his Gainesville residence on two occasions in August and September 2025. During the execution of a search warrant at the home in September 2025, law enforcement officers seized more than 1,232 grams of methamphetamine, 18.5 grams of cocaine, 0.29 grams of fentanyl, marijuana, cash, drug paraphernalia, a money counter and a loaded .22-caliber pistol.
Authorities said Scott’s prior felony drug convictions, which spanned from 2007 through 2018, prohibited him from possessing firearms.
Scott faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment. The sentence includes a mandatory consecutive prison term of at least five years for carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
The investigation was conducted by the Gainesville Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christie Utt is prosecuting the case.
Sentencing is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sept. 1 before Judge Allen Winsor in the U.S. Courthouse in Gainesville.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative focused on combating violent crime, transnational criminal organizations and drug trafficking.