Arcadia man sentenced to 13 years for meth and gun possession

Prosecutors said Woods pleaded guilty Jan. 27

Senate Homeland Security Committee Meets To Consider Reconciliation Recommendations To Budget Committee WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 19: The chairman's gavel is visible before a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on May 19, 2026 in Washington, DC. The committee is meeting to advance a reconciliation package increasing funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) through a simple-majority vote process. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

By Brody Wooddell

FORT MYERS, Fla. — An Arcadia man has been sentenced to more than 13 years in federal prison after federal prosecutors said deputies found methamphetamine and a gun on him during an arrest.

Donald Carl Woods, 42, was sentenced to 13 years and four months in federal prison for possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute, possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

Prosecutors said Woods pleaded guilty Jan. 27.

According to court documents, DeSoto County deputies arrested Woods near his home on April 28, 2025, on an active out-of-state warrant.

While taking him into custody, deputies found a firearm and methamphetamine on him, prosecutors said.

Federal officials said Woods had multiple felony convictions and was not legally allowed to possess a firearm.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Simon Eth prosecuted the case.

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