Drug ‘courier’ caught on I-75 with more than 1,400 grams of meth, cops say

A 40-year-old Miami man was arrested with more than 1,400 grams of methamphetamine he was transporting along Interstate 75, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives were operating in the southbound lanes of I-75 at around 1:30 p.m. Sept. 14 when they saw a Dodge Charger with New York plates and initiated a traffic stop because of a window tint violation, according to the arrest report.

Detectives say the suspect took the State Road 70 exit and continued westbound without stopping until he reached a shopping center in the 7300 block. According to the report, Ronnie Fletcher of Miami was seen tossing a baseball-sized object out of his window, which was picked up by deputies.

There were two large objects discarded by Fletcher that tested positive for methamphetamine and totaled more than 1,400 gram, according to the report.

After tossing the drugs, the vehicle Fletcher pulled over the car and was arrested, detectives say. According to the report, Fletcher was in the vehicle with his cousin, identified as Stephen Michael Fletcher, who claimed he had no knowledge the drugs were in the vehicle.

Both suspects refused to talk further with detectives. A search of the vehicle netted marijuana and mannitol, a substance used as a cutting agent in narcotics, detectives say.

Both were booked into the Manatee County jail on charges of trafficking in methamphetamine. Detectives noted that the driver was provided a written warning for the tint violation.

This story was originally published September 17, 2019 at 1:40 PM.