Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
Marcel Kamill Mickles, a 49-year-old resident of Pensacola, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on several charges, including possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Mickles appeared for arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho on September 23, 2025. His jury trial is set for November 3, 2025, before District Court Judge M. Casey Rodgers.
If found guilty, Mickles could face up to 20 years in prison for the drug trafficking charge and up to 15 years for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking carries an additional consecutive five-year term and could result in life imprisonment.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton will prosecute the case.
"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," according to the statement from authorities.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), an initiative led by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and addressing violent crime nationwide. The operation brings together resources from Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one among 94 offices serving as principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. More information about public court documents can be found at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website or at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
