Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
Adrian Dion Pettaway Jr., a 24-year-old resident of Pensacola, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to the distribution of a controlled substance. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Pettaway appeared in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Hope T. Cannon on December 22, 2025, for his arraignment. His jury trial is set for February 17, 2026, at 8:30 am before District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II.
If found guilty, Pettaway could face a prison sentence ranging from five to forty years.
The investigation was conducted jointly by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey Tharp is leading the prosecution.
"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," stated the release.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, an initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime as well as human and drug trafficking.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida serves as one of 94 offices across the country under the direction of the Attorney General. Public court documents can be accessed through the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. Additional information about the office can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
