Sarasota drug dealer used dating site to hook up with buyer. The ‘date’ ended badly, cops say
A 50-year-old Sarasota man contacted an undercover detective on a dating site to sell her drugs, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
In the profile, the undercover officer said she was more interested in “party favors,” than actually dating, according to the sheriff’s office.
Detectives say John Vaicaitis reached out to the detective in September with a message that read, “Wish i had seen yout profile 30 min ago ... i was in sarasota dripping off to someone else an could have met up with u.”
Detectives did the background work on Vaicaitis before contacting him on Jan. 8 to set up the first of two buys, according to the arrest report.
Vaicaitis met the detective at the Arby’s located in the 5900 block of Cattleridge Road in a white BMW. The undercover detective got in the vehicle, at which time Vaicaitis called a woman and said, “We’re good.”
The woman appeared and handed over a little more than 14 grams of methamphetamine, which the undercover detective purchased, according to the report.
On Jan. 22, detectives set up the second buy at the same location, upon request from Vaicaitis. During the second meeting, Vaicaitis was arrested, the report states.
Deputies say they found a loaded pistol in Vaicaitis’ BMW along with a bag containing almost 28 grams of meth. Deputies found an additional bag containing 8 grams of meth and a multitude of illegal pills, mushrooms, heroin and scales for weighing the drugs.
Vaicaitis told deputies he sold drugs, “to help pay his bills as he is currently unemployed,” the report states. He admitted to deputies that he was on his way to sell the meth, “to a girl he met on an online dating site,” according to the report.
Vaicaits was booked into the Sarasota County jail on a charge of trafficking in methamphetamine, and three counts of being in possession of a controlled substance.
A Bradenton man earlier this month was charged with methamphetamine trafficking, after a similar undercover operation.
This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 12:12 PM.