A Pensacola resident, Tre’Veonce Ezekiel Sanders, 19, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to firearms and drug offenses. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Sanders faces charges including possession of a machinegun, possession of an unregistered firearm, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. He appeared for arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho on September 23, 2025. A jury trial is scheduled for November 3, 2025, before District Court Judge M. Casey Rodgers.
If found guilty, Sanders could receive up to ten years in prison for each firearms offense and up to five years for the drug charge.
The investigation involved multiple agencies: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton is prosecuting 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 prosecutors.
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 that aims to combat illegal immigration, dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and address violent crime through coordination among various programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida operates as one of 94 offices representing the nation in legal matters under guidance from the Attorney General. Public court documents can be accessed via the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. More information about this office is available at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
