Bradenton SWAT raid leads to another charge for alleged drug dealer, feds say
A federal grand jury indicted a Bradenton man on a firearm charge months after a SWAT raid at his home uncovered drugs and multiple guns, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said 44-year-old Olvin Javier Gutierrez Ponce was in possession of three guns while living in the United States illegally. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison, according to federal law.
An attorney representing Gutierrez Ponce did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
Investigators said they found the firearms during a July 15 raid of Gutierrez Ponce’s East Bradenton home conducted by the Bradenton Police Department’s SWAT team, Homeland Security and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
A Manatee County judge approved a search warrant after investigators alleged in court documents that Gutierrez Ponce was known to sell crystal meth and crack cocaine. In addition to the guns, investigators said they found drugs, cash and other items commonly associated with narcotics sales.
According to an arrest report, the July raid uncovered 1.1 grams of crack cocaine, 3.6 grams of meth, scales, baggies and cash, according to an arrest report. Police said one of the guns had gems glued over the serial number and another had been reported stolen in Palmetto.
Meredith Censullo, a spokesperson for the Bradenton Police Department, said police arrested Ponce on local drug possession charges “with the expectation that Ponce would likely face additional charges related to gun possession pending additional investigation by our federal counterparts.”
The federal indictment comes on top of state charges Gutierrez Ponce already faces from the July raid.
Court records show Gutierrez Ponce faces multiple state charges from the raid, including possession of methamphetamine and cocaine with intent to sell within 1,000 feet of a school, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a firearm with an altered serial number. He pleaded not guilty in July and demanded a jury trial.
Gutierrez Ponce is scheduled to be arraigned for the local charges on Friday at the Manatee County Judicial Center, according to court records.
