Florida Criminal Attorney Blog
A former Tampa police officer was arrested on drug trafficking charges this week in Polk County, along with two other men.
The 66-year-old man and two others, 37 and 24, were arrested during an undercover drug transaction on Thursday, Jan. 10.
The 66-year-old bonded out of jail Saturday, while the other two men remained behind bars.
The 66-year-old former officer served with Tampa PD for five years before becoming an attorney.
The investigation occurred after detectives became aware of possible drug trafficking by one of the men. An undercover detective arranged to meet the man to make a narcotics transaction, and the man said that he would be coming with his supplier, who would have to see the money first.
The deal was for one-to-four kilos of cocaine at $25,000 a kilo.
All three men were allegedly seen at the meeting location, and the undercover detective was handed a backpack that contained 998.41 grams of cocaine, the report stated. All three suspects were arrested.
The 66-year-old was charged with trafficking in cocaine, conspiracy to traffic cocaine, and possession of a vehicle knowingly used to traffic cocaine. His criminal history includes 1986 charges for disorderly conduct and resisting.
The 37-year-old was charged with trafficking in cocaine, conspiracy to traffic cocaine, possession of hydrocodone, and possession of drug paraphernalia. His criminal history includes charges for providing alcohol to a minor in 2010 and 2013.
The 24-year-old was charged with trafficking in cocaine, conspiracy to traffic cocaine, possession of cannabis, and possession of drug paraphernalia. His criminal history includes charges for drug possession, probation violation, battery, and failure to appear.
Federal drug crimes charges are quite severe, and if you are convicted you are facing serious consequences. If you have been arrested or have reason to believe you are under investigation for a federal drug crime, you need to retain legal help as soon as possible. Our Florida Drug Trafficking Lawyers at Whittel & Melton can begin helping you immediately.