MCSO: 1 arrested, 3 pounds of methamphetamines seized in undercover drug bust

MARTIN COUNTY — Sheriff’s officials arrested one person and seized 3 pounds of "very high potency" methamphetamines this week after arranging an undercover drug transaction, according to an arrest affidavit and Sheriff William Snyder on Friday.

Daniel Thorr Gatlin, 39, was arrested shortly after 8 p.m. Wednesday on charges including trafficking methamphetamine 14 grams or more, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and illegal use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony, records show.

Snyder said Friday that Gatlin is “a documented gang member … and he was trafficking a substantial amount of methamphetamine into our county.”

“Let me be clear, this is 3 pounds of very high potency crystal methamphetamine directly from Mexico, across the Rio Grande,” Snyder said. “Mr. Gatlin had every intention of putting that poison on our streets.”

Investigators ultimately arranged to meet a man, later identified as Gatlin, at a RaceTrac gas station on U.S. 1 north of the Roosevelt Bridge. They reported Gatlin had a bag with about a pound of methamphetamine in his left pants leg.

“Mr. Gatlin had stated he was wanting to make some quick cash by selling the methamphetamine in order to get into a rehabilitation center,” an affidavit states.

Snyder seemed skeptical.

“Maybe that was aspirational on his part, not likely that that's what would have occurred,” Snyder said.

Gatlin said an additional 2 pounds of methamphetamines and a small amount of fentanyl were at a home in the 1000 block of Northwest 16th Street where he apparently was staying.

That address is on the west side of U.S. 1 about a quarter mile from RaceTrac.

Detectives found 2 pounds of methamphetamines and a small amount of fentanyl − an extremely potent synthetic opioid − there, records show.

Snyder said the bust began as a fentanyl case.

“This suspect had told our narcotics detectives that he could get them a large amount of fentanyl and then couldn't get his hands on it readily and asked us if we would take methamphetamine,” Snyder said.

According to records, Gatlin had an active arrest warrant from Arkansas for aggravated robbery.

Gatlin’s arrest follows a bust shortly after Christmas involving 2½ pounds of fentanyl − the largest volume of the drug ever trafficked in to Martin County, according to Snyder. Three arrests were made in that case.

Each of the three men, who officials said traveled from Bronx, New York, to Stuart to sell the 10,000 blue pills, are facing a potential minimum 25-year prison sentence if convicted for interstate drug trafficking.

“There is a present danger to our community by these drug traffickers. And they are here. And it's our job to try to stem the flow," Snyder said. "And it's the community's job to work with family members to try to persuade them not to even go down that path of drug use and drug abuse.”

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Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: MCSO: 1 arrested, 3 pounds of methamphetamines seized in undercover bust