Four people arrested in major drug bust of methamphetamine, fentanyl and synthetic drugs

Lina Portman2 weeks ago

3 2 minutes read

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – Enough fentanyl to kill more than a million people. According to law enforcement, that's the amount now taken off local streets.

Fentanyl is just one of several drugs seized by the Bay County Sheriff's Office during a June 18 drug bust.

This is a significant drug bust for the Bay County Sheriff's Office as they seized one of their largest quantities of fentanyl, totaling over 7.3 pounds.

Sheriff Tommy Ford says it's this drug that's killing people in our community.

“Typically, 2 to 3 milligrams of fentanyl is considered a lethal dose, and if you look at 7.3 pounds, that's 3.3 million milligrams of fentanyl,” said Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford. “So that’s pretty easily lethal doses of fentanyl, about 1.3 million lethal doses.” »

The drug seizure took place at a home in Springfield. Sheriff Ford says the people in the house were not from the area.

“This is an organization from the Escambia and Okaloosa County areas,” Ford said. “Basically, I opened up shop here in Bay County, had a stash, and luckily our investigators were able to take care of it.”

Authorities arrested Tyree Jones, Angel Godinez, Janice Soney and Elias Barela.

Jones and Godinez were both charged with trafficking in fentanyl (over 28 grams), trafficking in methamphetamine (over 200 grams), trafficking in synthetic drugs (over 1,000 grams), felony possession of a firearm, failure to register as a convicted felon, possession of drug paraphernalia.

Barela is charged with trafficking in fentanyl (over 28 grams), trafficking in methamphetamine (over 200 grams), trafficking in synthetic drugs (over 1,000 grams), felony possession of a firearm and felony possession of drug paraphernalia.

Soney was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.

“They're at the top of the food chain that brings this product into our community and distributes it to where it's distributed to people who will ultimately die, could die from an overdose,” Ford said.

Other drugs, including methamphetamines, synthetic drugs and marijuana, as well as three handguns, were also seized during the arrest.

“In 2021, 20 people lost their lives in an unincorporated area of Bay County as a result of fentanyl overdoses,” Ford said.

Last year, the number of overdose deaths fell to 7.

“It's still an unacceptable number, but it's a 65 percent decrease,” Ford said.

The Sheriff's Office has made many drug busts in the past, but what makes this one different is the amount of fentanyl.

“If you look at the lethality of Fentanyl in particular and you get that much of it on the street,” Ford said. “I mean, 7.3 pounds is a record amount for the Bay County Sheriff's Office, but that's not what's important. This is the amount that could cause the death of a person who is taken off the street.”

Bay County sheriff's investigators said they are making sure these drugs are taken off the streets so they can protect those who live here.

The quantity of fentanyl seized is estimated at $1.3 million. The sheriff's office received state funding as part of state assistance in eradicating fentanyl.

This grant reimbursed approved fentanyl-related investigative operations, including overtime pay and equipment used.