A routine traffic stop on the evening of April 3 led to the discovery and seizure of a significant quantity of methamphetamine according to a report from the Gainesville Police Department. A 41-year-old Gainesville man and a 38-year-old Deltona man were taken into custody at the scene in connection with the seized drugs. Media reports reveal that they have been charged with trafficking narcotics and possessing drug paraphernalia and are being held at a detention facility operated by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. The bonds for both men have been set at $51,000.
According to the GPD, the car the two men were traveling in was pulled over on Interstate 75, which is also known as Florida State Road 93, at approximately 7:45 p.m. for speeding and tailgating. The officer who made the stop says that he became suspicious when he noticed one of the men attempting to conceal an item by placing it between his legs. The officer claims that he then searched the man and found a plastic bag containing 5.2 grams of a substance that appeared to be methamphetamine. A subsequent search of the car is said to have led to the discovery of two sandwich bags containing a further 193 grams of the drug along with digital scales and a meth pipe.
Police then obtained a search warrant for the Gainesville man’s apartment where another meth pipe and a bag containing 16.2 grams of the drug were allegedly discovered. The Deltona man is said to have told members of the Gainesville-Alachua County Drug Task Force that he assisted the Gainesville man in his alleged drug distribution activities by renting him cars and driving him to purchase narcotics.
Experienced criminal defense attorneys would likely advise individuals facing drug possession, distribution or trafficking charges to make no admissions to police officers or prosecutors without first consulting a lawyer. This is because proving criminal charges beyond any reasonable doubt is rarely straightforward for prosecutors even when the evidence seems strong, and they are usually willing to make significant charging or sentencing concessions to avoid the risks of a jury trial.
Source: The Gainesville Sun, Two nabbed on I-75 suspected of trafficking meth, Daniel Smithson, April 4, 2019
Source: The Independent Florida Alligator, GPD accuse men of trafficking meth, Katherine Wallace-Fernandez, April 4, 2019