Bradenton men sentenced to prison for trafficking meth in Manatee County, prosecutors say
A federal judge sentenced five members of a Bradenton trafficking organization to prison on drug charges, prosecutors announced.
Prosecutors say the men received prison time after they were involved in a conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine in Bradenton and throughout Manatee County.
Clemente Bentacourt, 29, was sentenced to 15 years and 8 months, while Estavan Bentcourt, 20, Adonis Bonilla, 29 and Omar Mejia, 29, were each sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. Alexander Perez, 30, was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison, federal prosecutors said.
The men pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to distribute meth and possession of meth with intent to distribute, the Bradenton Herald previously reported. Each faced a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Larry Lee Woodard Jr., 29 and Jesse Leahy, 48 were among those who pleaded guilty in August and were set to be sentenced, but court documents show their sentencing hearings were rescheduled to March.
In addition to the conspiracy charges, prosecutors say the men were charged with narcotics transactions after Clemente and Estevan Bentacourt sold more than 1.5 kilograms of meth at their Bradenton home, as well as other locations throughout Manatee County.
Firearms, approximately one pound of meth, 22 cell phones, cocaine and marijuana were seized from Clemente and Estevan Bentacourt’s home at the time of their arrests, according to a news release.
The case was investigated by several law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations Tampa and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
