Fort Walton Beach Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Trafficking & Firearm Offenses

Pensacola, Florida - Anthony Bernard Allen, 54, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, as well as possession of a firearm and ammunition 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: "Our state and federal law enforcement partners are relentlessly pursuing the armed drug traffickers who have plagued our communities with deadly drugs and violence for far too long, and my office is backing up their efforts with successful prosecutions like this one. My message to the peddlers of drugs in this district is clear: your days are numbered, and a federal prison cell is in your future."

Court documents reflect that on March 19, 2026, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the defendant's Fort Walton Beach residence, where officers seized 950 grams of cocaine, 37 grams of cocaine base, a loaded handgun, and ammunition. The defendant is a convicted felon who cannot legally possess a firearm or ammunition. Less than one month later, on April 17, 2026, the defendant was the subject of a traffic stop where officers observed him attempting to discard a bag of cocaine onto the ground.

Allen faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years in prison, and up to 40 years' imprisonment, followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Brooke D. Lindsay is prosecuting the case.

Allen's sentencing is scheduled for December 29, 2026, at 1:00 p.m., 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, 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.

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 FloridaLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. website. For more information about the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.