Palmetto drug dealer sentenced after selling fentanyl to undercover deputy
.jpg "A Manatee County judge sentenced Frank Johnny Lee Brice Jr., 31, to 30 years in prison after a jury convicted him of fentanyl trafficking following an undercover operation, according to court records.")
A Palmetto man will spend decades in prison after a Manatee County jury convicted him of fentanyl trafficking and related charges, according to court records.
A judge sentenced 31-year-old Frank Johnny Lee Brice Jr. on Feb. 18 to 30 years in prison after jurors found him guilty of trafficking in fentanyl, unlawful use of a two-way communications device and possession of drug paraphernalia, court records show.
An attorney representing Brice declined to comment when reached by the Bradenton Herald.
According to an arrest report, the conviction stems from a July undercover operation in which a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office detective arranged to purchase fentanyl from Brice.
Investigators said Brice met the detective at an apartment complex in Bradenton, where the detective got into Brice’s vehicle and handed him $1,500 .
Detectives said Brice used a digital scale inside the car to weigh and bag fentanyl before handing it to the undercover detective.
After the detective exited the vehicle, a SWAT team moved in and attempted to take Brice into custody, according to the report, but Brice tried to flee in his vehicle and then on foot before surrendering to deputies, investigators wrote.
Detectives recovered the $1,500, a digital scale and drug packaging materials from the scene, according to the arrest report. The substance later tested positive for fentanyl and weighed about 21 grams, investigators said.
According to an earlier arrest report, the investigation began a month earlier when an undercover detective first contacted Brice to arrange a fentanyl purchase.
The following day, Brice directed the detective to meet him at a Publix parking lot , where investigators said he sold them the fentanyl.
Court records show charges tied to that June incident remain pending.
During a two-day trial before Circuit Judge Frederick Mercurio, prosecutors presented physical evidence, lab reports and recorded communications tied to the July investigation, according to court records.
Mercurio sentenced Brice to 30 years in prison on the trafficking charge, including a 20-year minimum mandatory sentence.
He also received a sentence of about five years and five months for the communications device charge, to be served at the same time, and was credited with 230 days served on the paraphernalia count.
In addition to prison time, Mercurio ordered Brice to pay more than $105,000 in fines and costs and suspended his driver’s license for six months.
Brice filed a notice of appeal on Feb. 19, court records show. He is next scheduled to appear in court on April 1.
