TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Eleven members of a synthetic drug trafficking ring operating in Florida are now carrying out their sentences. John Abdal, the last member of the ring to be convicted, was sentenced today to 21 months in prison followed by 12 months of probation. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Office of Statewide Prosecution prosecuted Abdal and five other members of the synthetic drug ring. The Office of State Attorney R.J. Larizza of the 7th Judicial Circuit also prosecuted Abdal and the five remaining members.
“These defendants were making money selling poison to minors,” said Attorney General Bondi. “We will not allow anyone in our state to get away with peddling deadly synthetic drugs to our youth, who are often attracted by the colorful packaging of these drugs and may not fully understand the health hazards these chemical compounds pose. I applaud the efforts of my Office of Statewide Prosecution, State Attorney Larizza and the more than 80 law enforcement officers dedicated to this investigation.”
The investigation that led to the arrests and convictions of the synthetic drug trafficking ring members was named Operation Bad Dreamer. Investigating agencies included; the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, the North Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program, the Tri-County Narcotics Task Force composed of investigators from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam County Sheriff’s Offices, the Palatka and the St. Augustine Police Departments, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Operation Bad Dreamer investigators discovered labs set up to produce synthetic drugs, sold as incense, in Flagler and St. Johns Counties. Investigators also served search warrants on private residences and storage units where the drugs were being stored for later distribution.
Below is a list of the defendants prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office:
· John Abdal pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering and was sentenced to 21 months in prison;
· Kellie Ann Barnette pleaded guilty to racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, six counts of sale of a controlled substance and four counts of delivery of drug paraphernalia and was sentenced to one year of community control followed by 10 years of probation;
· Carlos Fernando Ramos Dasilva pleaded guilty to racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, three counts of ownership, lease, rental or possession for manufacturing a controlled substance and was sentenced to 44 months in prison followed by two years of probation;
· Samantha Rennee Davis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering, three counts of sale of a controlled substance and was sentenced to one year of community control, followed by 10 years of probation.
· Mark Dickinson pleaded guilty to continuing criminal enterprise, racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering and was sentenced to 13 years in prison;
· Alexis Perez pleaded guilty to sale of a controlled substance and was sentenced to five years of probation; and
· Samantha Rennee Davis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering, three counts of sale of a controlled substance and was sentenced to one year of community control, followed by 10 years of probation.
Below is a list of the defendants prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office:
· John Abdal pleaded guilty to maintaining a drug dwelling or conveyance and two counts of sale of a schedule I substance and was sentenced to 21 months in prison followed by 12 months probation.
· Edward Robert Mims Jr. pleaded nolo-contendere to sale of a schedule I substance and was sentenced to three years of drug offender probation;
· Robert Clark Nicholson pleaded nolo-contendere to sale of a schedule I substance and was sentenced to 30 months of drug offender probation;
· Ajay Dinbandhu Patel pleaded nolo-contendere to possession of a schedule I substance with intent to sell and sale of a schedule I substance and was sentenced to 3 years of probation;
· Sheetal Ajay Patel pleaded nolo-contendere to possession with Intent to sell a controlled substance and sale of a schedule I substance and was sentenced to 3 years of probation; and
Martha Ellen Welzant pleaded nolo-contendere to two counts of sale of a schedule I substance and was sentenced to 30 months of drug offender probation.
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