ARMED DRUG TRAFFICKER PLEADS GUILTY TO POSSESSING FIREARMS AND NARCOTICS

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Terrance Josiah Fasold, 31, of Pensacola, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I deeply appreciate the hard work by our state and federal law enforcement partners to get this violent drug trafficker off our streets.  My office remains fully committed to fulfilling the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America by targeting drug traffickers like this defendant with the full force of the law, and this successful prosecution is yet another win in our fight to keep our communities safe.”

Court documents reflect that law enforcement was investigating Fasold regarding a stolen firearm. Law enforcement located Fasold at the Red Roof Inn in Pensacola, Florida. Fasold fled from law enforcement and discarded a bag containing more than 40 grams of fentanyl. A search of Fasold’s hotel room was conducted and law enforcement located more fentanyl, as well as cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and several loaded firearms. Fasold is a convicted felon and has multiple prior felony convictions for drug related offenses.

Fasold faces up to life imprisonment, and a lifetime of supervision upon release.  

The case involved a joint investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton.

Sentencing is scheduled for November 19, 2025, at 3:00pm at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s 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 of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.