Bradenton man charged with trafficking after cops say they found fentanyl, gun in car
A Bradenton man is facing multiple felony charges after deputies found drugs and a loaded gun in a vehicle he was driving.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputies stopped an orange Chevrolet Cobalt on 57th Avenue West on Sunday after running the car’s tag, which showed it was expired and the car’s owner, Johntrevian Minniefield, 25, had what they later learned was a non-extraditable warrant out of Georgia.
Minniefield was detained due to the warrant and a subsequent search revealed a “large wad of cash in his front right pocket” and a long tube-shaped object with white powder inside.
During the traffic stop, investigators reported smelling marijuana.
In a backpack on the passenger floorboard of the vehicle, detectives found a loaded handgun — one round in the chamber and two rounds in the magazine — and another loose round of ammunition in the bag. A jar with 17 grams of marijuana, a small electronic scale and a box of plastic bags were also found in the backpack, according to the affidavit.
A plastic bag with a white powder that tested positive for 5.6 grams of fentanyl and another plastic bag with 1.6 grams of heroin were found in a compartment near the steering wheel. Also, a glue stick container with 1 gram of cocaine inside was found on the floor of the back passenger side of the car, the affidavit continued.
Carter was charged with possession of cannabis not more than 20 grams, jail records showed.
Carter told investigators that nothing they found — except the marijuana — was his. He said he has only known Minniefield “for like two days,” and Minniefield had picked him up to go smoke, according to the affidavit.
Five cell phones were also in the car and in the trunk, investigators discovered more boxes of plastic bags and two more rounds of ammunition.
Minniefield was charged with possession with intent to sell and trafficking, records show. He denied the drugs or gun were his and would not tell investigators who they belonged to, according to the affidavit.
Deputies spoke to the passenger in the car, Javonte Carter, 19. While speaking to him, deputies again noted the smell of marijuana and found a small plastic bag holding 3 grams of marijuana in his pocket during a search, according to the affidavit.