Convicted felon pleads guilty to federal gun & drug charges

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Quardarell Henry Robinson, 38, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, and marijuana and possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the plea.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said, “Thanks to the excellent investigative work of our federal law enforcement partners and this successful prosecution by my office, this armed drug trafficker has been taken off our streets. Anyone peddling drugs and violence in my district will face the full might of the Department of Justice.”

Original arrest

At about noon on February 23, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents were conducting surveillance on Robinson’s apartment at The Reserve at Kanapaha (4440 SW Archer Road) and saw Robinson enter a pickup truck, holding a small black handbag.

A short time later, DEA agents followed the truck onto SW 41st Boulevard (Fred Bear Drive), and the truck turned into Fred Bear Archery (4600 SW 41st Blvd). At about 1:02 p.m., an FHP Trooper saw the truck leaving Fred Bear Archery, initiated a felony traffic stop, and detained Robinson.

A search of the woods behind the parking lot at Bear Archery reportedly produced a black Glock 22 with 10 rounds in the magazine.

A witness who was parked on the west shoulder of Fred Bear Road, just north of Bear Archery, reportedly told a DEA Agent that he saw a black object fly out of the passenger side of a truck before the truck turned. The agent reportedly found a small black handbag in the ditch on the side of the road that appeared to be the same size as the bag agents saw when Robinson got into the truck.

A search of the bag reportedly produced about 44.9 grams of crack cocaine, 1.5 grams of cocaine, 21 small individual bags that totaled about 70 grams of marijuana, two industrial bags containing about 17.2 grams of suspected marijuana, four industrial bags containing about 20.2 grams of suspected marijuana, two gabapentin capsules, “numerous” empty baggies, and an electronic scale.

Later, a search warrant was executed at Robinson’s residence, where law enforcement recovered a loaded handgun and cookware that contained cocaine base. 

Robinson faces a minimum of five years’ imprisonment, and up to life imprisonment. 

Sentencing is scheduled before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor, in Gainesville, Florida, on November 23, 2026, at 10:30 a.m.

The plea was the result of a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Adam Hapner and James McCain.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.