Leesburg man arrested on drug charges during SWAT team raid

A Leesburg man was arrested on drug charges and gun possession after deputies executed a search warrant and found several non-prescription bottles in his closet.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office Special Investigations Unit along with the LCSO SWAT Team executed a legal search warrant at 1906 W. Main Street around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to an LCSO arrest report. The SWAT team secured the residence and all occupants, including Aaron Cornelius Barrett, 33, who was standing in the driveway. They were all made aware of their rights, which they all admitted they understood.

Detectives from the LCSO Special Investigations Unit searched the residence, including Barrett's bedroom. Inside, they found cocaine in an orange pill bottle and a clear bag on a closet shelf. Also in the cabinet were several orange pill bottles containing 44 white oval pills known as hydrocodone, 51 white rectangular pills known as alprazolam, 97 white oval pills known as oxycodone, according to the report.

Marijuana was located in the back of the closet, but a green and silver SCCY .380 caliber pistol, model CPX-3, was found in a box on the top shelf of the closet. All of the prescription pills found in the orange bottles had names other than Barrett's. The firearm was found on the same shelf and near the bottles, according to the report.

The oxycodone weighed approximately nine grams and the hydrocodone approximately 63 grams, both of which were considered trafficked quantities. The 120 grams of marijuana was considered a criminal quantity, while the quantity of cocaine found was less than the trafficked quantity, according to the report.

Additionally, a traffic ticket and other documents bearing Barrett's name were found in the same room as the narcotics, according to the report.

During an initial interview, Barrett said he and his girlfriend lived in the room. He stated that he was not aware of the presence of narcotics inside the residence. The report notes that in interviews with others at the property, they indicated the room was in fact his.

Barrett later said he would like to admit the drugs belonged to him. A deputy conducted a second interview with Barrett, who said he was making an additional statement of his own free will. He admitted that any drugs found in the room were his and not his girlfriend's. He freely named each narcotic, including cocaine, pills and marijuana, that was found, stating that they were his and only his narcotics, according to the report.

Barrett was arrested for armed trafficking in hydrocodone and oxycodone and possession of cocaine, alprazolam, marijuana (more than 20 grams) and a firearm in commission of a felony. He was transported to the Lake County Jail with bail set at $7,500.

Initially, a no-bail status was requested due to the seriousness of the offenses, the significant amount of narcotics found in connection with a firearm, Barrett's past and present conduct, and the nature and likelihood of danger. that Barrett represented to the community, of Barrett's market value. narcotics involved, as well as the weight and evidence against Barrett. Both armed trafficking offenses are punishable by life imprisonment, and the proof of guilt is clear or the presumption is strong for all offenses, the report states.

This was a months-long investigation into the distribution of narcotics from the residence. Two narcotics were found in traffic quantities in Barrett's room, namely oxycodone and hydrocodone. The former carries a mandatory minimum sentence of three years and a fine of $50,000, while the latter carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a fine of $100,000, the report.

There is also a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years due to the Armed Trafficking Act. The facts and circumstances of the case demonstrated that Barrett posed a risk to the community, according to the report.

If the court determined that a no-bail status was not appropriate, it was required for each armed trafficking charge that a GPS ankle monitor be fitted prior to release and that the evidence be submitted to the clerk of court within 24 hours, the report said.