Bradenton man arrested after raid uncovers drugs, gun, and cash, police say
A Bradenton man is facing felony drug charges after a police raid uncovered a stockpile of narcotics, cash and a gun inside his home, according to investigators.
Officers with the Bradenton Police Department say they found about 760 grams of marijuana, 55 grams of crack cocaine, 12 grams of fentanyl, $2,298 in cash and a loaded gun during the search of 48-year-old Johnie Jones Jr.’s east Bradenton home Wednesday, according to an arrest report.
Investigators said the drugs were hidden in various places throughout the house, including a backpack, under a mattress, inside a pillow and in a CD case. A locked room under video surveillance held additional narcotics, sandwich bags, baking soda and other materials “commonly used to package and sell drugs,” according to an arrest report.
An attorney representing Jones did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
Deputies booked Jones into the Manatee County jail later that day, according to the sheriff’s office website. He is charged with possession of fentanyl and crack cocaine with intent to sell within 1,000 feet of a specified area, which police identified in an arrest report as a church. He also faces charges of possession of marijuana with intent to sell in a protected area and possession of cocaine without a prescription, court records show.
At a bond hearing Friday, Circuit Court Judge Frederick Mercurio set bond at $10,000 on the fentanyl charge and left the existing bond amounts unchanged for the remaining charges: $5,000 for crack cocaine, $5,000 for marijuana and $2,500 for possession of cocaine without a prescription, court records show.
Jones remains in custody Friday, according to the sheriff’s office website.
Multiple prior felony convictions
Jones also has an open felony case from March for possession of cocaine, according to court records. After his arrest on Wednesday, Mercurio revoked Jones’ bond in that earlier case and ordered him held without bond, meaning Jones must remain jailed regardless of any bond set in the new case. The judge also said Jones should not be given another bond hearing in the older case.
Court records show Jones has multiple prior felony convictions in Manatee County. In 2013, he was convicted of trying to use a counterfeit document and later served 364 days in county jail after violating his probation. In 2015, he was convicted of possession of a controlled substance and sentenced to nearly a year in jail. Most recently, in 2023, he was convicted of possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell or deliver and sentenced to more than two years in state prison.
The investigation into Wednesday’s raid is ongoing, according to police.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Bradenton Police Department.
