U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington has sentenced Andre Adams, Jr., 43, of Bradenton, to 19 years in federal prison for drug trafficking and firearms offenses. Adams was convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon. The court also ordered the forfeiture of four firearms and assorted ammunition. A federal jury found Adams guilty on July 17, 2024.
According to trial evidence, the investigation began after a complaint from a concerned citizen about suspected drug sales in Bradenton. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) identified Adams as the individual involved, observing frequent visitors to his residence and financial records showing tens of thousands of dollars in transactions with known drug users. The records referenced coded drug terms, including “Scooby snacks,” slang for heroin or fentanyl.
On August 4, 2022, MCSO detectives executed search warrants at Adams’s residence and storage unit. At his home, investigators found $22,000 in cash, a loaded handgun, scales, drug paraphernalia, 55 grams of methamphetamine, 400 grams of cocaine, and 80 grams of fentanyl. At the storage unit, authorities seized two kilograms of cocaine, more than 350 grams of methamphetamine, drug processing equipment, and three additional firearms, including an AK-47 rifle, along with dozens of rounds of ammunition.
Adams had previously served 15 years in Florida state prison for cocaine trafficking and was prohibited by law from possessing firearms or ammunition.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shauna S. Hale.
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