One suspect was arrested and another is at large after what Manatee Sheriff Rick Wells described as the largest fentanyl bust in the county’s history.
Wells said investigators seized over $1.7 million worth of narcotics, including enough fentanyl to kill the entire Tampa Bay area.
Tron Jalee Williams, 40, was arrested on charges of trafficking in fentanyl, trafficking in meth, trafficking in cocaine and trafficking in ecstasy.
Maurice Baxter Jr., 23, has a warrant for his arrest.
“We’re pretty sure we’ll find him,” said Wells. “Baxter is hiding, but he’s not going to be able to hide for very long.”
Wells said the investigation started in November 2024, following a fentanyl sale by Baxter Jr. to an undercover detective at a suspected drug house in downtown Bradenton.
Baxter was already under investigation by other detectives as a suspected dealer of fentanyl, the sheriff said.
On March 13, sheriff's office detectives executed a search warrant at the house recovered over $1 million of contraband:
- 12.3 kilograms (more than 27 pounds) of what a deputy described in court records as fentanyl mixed with xylazine.
- 1 kilogram of cocaine.
- 1 kilogram of ecstasy.
- 273 grams of methamphetamine.
- 822 grams of marijuana.
- 29.4 grams of Adderall.
- Five firearms.
- Over 1,000 rounds of ammunition.
- One vehicle.
Williams was home during the search and taken into custody.
The sheriff described Williams as a known drug dealer. There are no criminal drug convictions in Manatee County against Williams during the past 15 years, according to court records.
Williams, who declined to speak with deputies after they searched his home, has pleaded not guilty in the case, according to court records.
A judge on Friday ordered Williams held until his trial, describing him as too dangerous to the community to be eligible for bond. Meanwhile, prosecutors asked the judge to order Williams to help them unlock two cellphones found by deputies.
Wells said consumers of fentanyl typically purchase two-tenths of a gram, meaning Williams had a cache of over 61,500 doses.
“They are also responsible for upping other dealers in our community,” Wells said. “They were a main player in Manatee County.”
Detectives are trying to find people who bought drugs from Williams and Baxter Jr.
According to Wells, detectives have not identified any deaths connecting back to the fentanyl. Wells said if deaths were found, Williams and Baxter Jr. could face murder charges.
"You think about those drugs that were seized and how those drugs could be responsible for killing everyone in Manatee, Sarasota, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Polk County, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus," Wells said.
The combination of fentanyl and xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer, creates a street drug known as “tranq.” According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, when combined with fentanyl, xylazine can increase the potential for fatal overdoses.
The DEA said people injecting drug mixtures containing xylazine can develop severe wounds, such as necrosis, the death and rotting of human tissue.
Funds from the State Assistance for Fentanyl Eradication (SAFE) were used to assist investigators in the operation.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Baxter Jr. is urged to contact the sheriff’s office at (941) 747-3011.
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