Major drug bust in Bay County: 7 pounds of fentanyl worth $1.3 million

Four defendants have been jailed and more than 7 pounds of fentanyl seized following a six-month drug trafficking investigation in Bay County.

The fentanyl amounts to 1.3 million fatal doses, according to Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford, who estimated the street value of the pills at $1.3 million. Ford made the announcement at a press conference Wednesday with the seized drugs on display.

Ford said his agency's special investigations unit delivered a search warrant Tuesday at 112 Marin Lake Drive, Springfield. He said the unit was looking into an organization that had come from Escambia and Okaloosa Counties with goals of setting up operations in Bay County.

“Our special investigations was on top of that and have been working for about six months, and yesterday resulted in the seizure of the drugs you see here,” Ford said, pointing out a table full of drugs at the press conference.

In addition to the fentanyl, the unit seized 7.8 ounce of methamphetamine, 6 pounds of synthetic drugs known as “tunechi,” 2 pounds of marijuana, three handguns and more than $27,000 in cash.

Ford said the fentanyl seized is a record amount for his agency and the area.

“I can’t say enough about the great work the men and women at the sheriff’s office and our special investigations do to get these drugs off the street because it certainly saves lives,” he added.

In 2021, Ford noted, 20 people died in unincorporated Bay County at the result of fentanyl overdoses. “We’ve been able to reduce that to seven last year, which is still an unacceptable number,” he said. “But it is a 65 percent decrease, and we do that by getting these drugs off the street and then being very aggressive in doing that.”

When officers delivered the search warrant, Ford said, a resident of the home, Elias Barela, jumped out of a rear window in an attempt to flee. He was quickly taken into custody. Barela, 30, has been charged with trafficking in fentanyl (more than 28 grams), trafficking in methamphetamine (more than 200 grams), trafficking in synthetic drugs (more than 1,000 grams), felon in possession of a firearm and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Three additional adults, Tyree Jones, Angel Godinez and Janice Soney, were also arrested at the residence.

Jones, 30, and Godinez, 32, have both been charged with trafficking in fentanyl (more than 28 grams), trafficking in methamphetamine (more than 200 grams), trafficking in synthetic drugs (more than 1,000 grams), felon in possession of a firearm, failure to register as a convicted felon and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Soney, 33, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. All suspects were booked into the Bay County Jail.

“So there is no doubt in my mind that these drugs would have caused deaths in Bay County,” Ford added. Even with the reduction in overdose deaths, he said, his agency still responds to overdoses in the community. Ford also noted that the marijuana edibles seized were packaged to attract kids.

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He hopes the trafficking arrests at the highest level send a message to anyone who is selling these substances. “If it results in the death of somebody, we’re going to come after you. We’re going to treat you like the homicide suspect you are and arrest you for homicide where you’ll serve significant time in prison.”

This is something that is not going to be tolerated here in Bay County, Ford said.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Bay County Florida sheriff's office seizes 7 pounds of fentanyl in drug bust