Two Manatee men sentenced to prison. Cops say they sold drugs to someone undercover
Two Manatee County men have been sentenced to federal prison after they were convicted of selling drugs to a confidential informant who was working with law enforcement.
Raphael Simean Bennett, Jr., of Bradenton, and Andre Renodd Ackerman, of Palmetto, pleaded guilty to drug dealing charges in March. Investigators say both men sold fentanyl to a confidential informant in August 2019. Bennett sold drugs to the informant on at least four other occasions, prosecutors said.
According to a release, law enforcement officers obtained a warrant to search Bennett’s home in September 2019 and recovered 626 grams of cocaine and 8 grams of fentanyl. Nearly a year later in July 2020, officers searched Bennett’s car and recovered another 8 grams of fentanyl, 13 grams of heroin and 16 grams of cocaine.
Bennett, 35, was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison. Ackerman, 34, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.
Bennett faced one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, four counts of distribution of fentanyl and one count of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. Ackerman faced one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and one count of distribution of fentanyl.
According to the Florida Department of Corrections, Bennett has been sentenced to prison three times since 2007. Each of the sentences involved convictions on drug-related charges.
This story was originally published June 25, 2021 at 3:39 PM.
