DeSoto County Drug Dealer Sentenced to Federal Prison

Fort Myers, Florida - Donald Carl Woods (42, Arcadia) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell to 13 years and 4 months in federal prison for possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute, possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Woods pleaded guilty on January 27, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, on April 28, 2025, deputies from the DeSoto County Sheriff's Office arrested Woods near his residence for an active out-of-state warrant. While taking Woods into custody, deputies seized a firearm and a quantity of methamphetamine that they found on his person. Aside from having an active warrant, Woods was also a mutli-time convicted felon who could not lawfully possess a firearm under federal law.

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.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the DeSoto County Sheriff's Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon Eth.