Press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – William Hernandez, aged 27, from Hawthorne, faces a federal indictment on charges of possessing with the intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine, using a firearm in connection with drug trafficking, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The charges were announced by John P. Heekin, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Click here to read our article about Hernandez’s July arrest; he remains in the Alachua County Jail.

Hernandez is set to appear for arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Midori A. Lowry at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville, Florida, on July 29, 2025, at 2:15 p.m.

If convicted, Hernandez faces up to life imprisonment.

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Gainesville Police Department, with support from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys James A. McCain and Adam Hapner.

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.

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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).