U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Jonathan Nicola, 23, of Sanford, Florida, to 15 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute two kilograms of fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Nicola had pleaded guilty on April 30, 2024.
According to court documents, Nicola was the subject of a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigation targeting drug distribution in the St. Cloud area. On January 11, 2024, law enforcement agents observed Nicola retrieving a suspicious package from an address in St. Cloud at approximately 2:10 p.m. Upon attempting to conduct a traffic stop, Nicola accelerated and fled, leading authorities on a high-speed chase along the Florida Turnpike.
The pursuit, which lasted over 14 miles, was marked by reckless driving, including multiple car accidents, running red lights, and traveling at speeds exceeding 100 mph in a 45-mph zone. Nicola eventually crashed his vehicle at the intersection of Washington Woods Lane and Landstar Boulevard in Orlando, disabling the car.
A subsequent search of the vehicle yielded a 9 mm Springfield Hellcat handgun, loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition, as well as a digital scale and numerous plastic bags found in the driver’s door. Authorities also discovered a parcel addressed to the previously surveilled St. Cloud location, which contained a silver metal box. Inside the box, investigators found a vacuum-sealed bag containing blue pills, known as fenta-pills, weighing approximately 4.4 pounds.
DEA laboratory tests later confirmed that the pills contained a detectable amount of fentanyl, totaling two kilograms.
This case was investigated by the DEA, with assistance from the St. Cloud Police Department and the Florida Highway Patrol, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.
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