This heroin dealer is now facing up to 45 years in prison. His street name is ‘Fat Rat’

A Bradenton drug dealer is facing up to 45 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of trafficking in heroin and other drug charges.

Fabrian “Fat Rat” Thomas, 38, was found guilty Wednesday of one count of trafficking in heroin 28 grams or more, three counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of marijuana. The jury deliberated for about an hour before reaching its verdict.

Thomas now faces up to 45 years in prison with a minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years for his trafficking in heroin conviction. He will be sentenced on April 17.

“This prosecution is the result of the successful collaboration with local law enforcement to keep opioids and other dangerous drugs off our streets,” Assistant State Attorneys Rebecca Muller and Payton Thomas said in an issued statement. “The benefits of these efforts, along with aggressive prosecution, has already manifested itself in dramatically lower overdose rates. We are grateful for the continued dedication of law enforcement to these efforts.”

Undercover detectives with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office had purchased narcotics from Thomas, providing them enough probable cause to get a search warrant for his mobile home.

On March 15, 2016, detectives searched the mobile home in the 5600 block of 14th Street West in Bradenton. During the search, marijuana, crack cocaine, needles and crack pipes were found in the front room. Inside Thomas’ bedroom, two packages of more than 50 grams of heroin, 10.5 pills of Alprazolam, three Buprenorphine pills, about 2.3 grams of marijuana, a digital scale, plastic bags, two safes with firearms and more than $21,000.

Thomas’ prior convictions include robbery, sale or delivery of cocaine and possession of with intent to sell a controlled substance.

This story was originally published March 9, 2018 at 9:25 PM with the headline "This heroin dealer is now facing up to 45 years in prison. His street name is ‘Fat Rat’."