Meth dealer sentenced to 10 years federal prison

A Bradenton man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison Thursday after having pleaded guilty to a charge for dealing in methamphetamine.

Andrew Aaron Kutt, 46, pleaded guilty on Nov. 3 to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute it and was facing up to life in prison.

On Thursday, Kutt was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven to the minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years.

Kutt’s case is part of Operation Hot Batch, a joint investigation by local and federal law enforcement targeting drug trafficking organizations dealing in heroin, fentanyl and other drugs. According to officials, Operation Hot Batch resulted in the seizure of 2.8 kilos of heroin and fentanyl, 294 grams of methamphetamine, 2.5 kilograms of cocaine, 11 handguns, one shotgun and $152,605 in currency and assets.

Kutt was initially arrested by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office in February and charged with trafficking in heroin and trafficking in methamphetamine.

Kutt sold fentanyl and methamphetamine to people from his Bradenton home multiple times between January, when he and his home first came under investigation, and Feb. 15, 2017, when a circuit court judge signed a warrant for his arrest. Detectives seized more than 20 grams of crystal methamphetamine and over 4 grams of a substance containing fentanyl when they searched his home.

At the time of his arrest, Kutt told detectives that the drugs in the home were his and told them where to find a green bag with heroin, meth, MDMA and other various pills in his bedroom.

This story was originally published February 1, 2018 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Meth dealer sentenced to 10 years federal prison."