TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa man has been sentenced to more than 20 years in federal prison for drug trafficking and firearm charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Mitchell Wilson, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber to 20 years and 8 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
Wilson, who pleaded guilty on Nov. 22, 2023, will forfeit a Smith & Wesson Model M&P Shield 9mm pistol and ammunition as part of the sentencing. Court records indicate that Wilson was a significant narcotics distributor in the Middle District of Florida, involved in drug sales and firearm possession.
Wilson was arrested in September 2022 after selling fentanyl to a confidential source. Three days later, law enforcement seized 97 grams of pure methamphetamine, 36 grams of a fentanyl-cocaine mixture, and a loaded firearm from a backpack he was carrying from a hotel room to his car.
Wilson admitted to obtaining over 2 kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine from a drug trafficking organization in Palmetto Beach during the 10 months leading up to his arrest. Agents also recovered a drug ledger and cash at the time of his arrest, indicating his ongoing involvement in narcotics distribution.
Wilson, who had previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses, including four prior drug trafficking charges, had been out of prison for just over a year when he was arrested.
