A months-long narcotics investigation in Manatee County came to a head on Oct. 13 when the sheriff’s office SWAT team executed a search warrant at a home in the 400 block of 39th Street East in Palmetto. Undercover detectives had been making multiple buys of powder cocaine and methamphetamine from 26-year-old Eric Tovar-Aviles, including a trafficking-level quantity of meth, which helped build the case for the raid.
Deputies found Tovar-Aviles alone inside the residence and arrested him without incident. According to the sheriff’s office, the search turned up about 1,230.6 grams of methamphetamine, 113.4 grams of cocaine, and more than $15,000 in cash. The seized narcotics carry an estimated street value north of $33,000. He now faces charges of sale of methamphetamine, two counts of trafficking in methamphetamine, trafficking in cocaine, and violation of probation.
Florida takes trafficking charges seriously, and cases built on undercover buys often take months to come together before an arrest is made. Do you think law enforcement should be more visible about these investigations in local neighborhoods? Let us know in the comments or give us a call.
