CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. – Three drug dealers arrested in separate undercover investigations by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms, officials announced.
Crystal R. Gilbert, 44, was sentenced on December 10, 2025, to seven years in the Florida Department of Corrections, followed by five years of probation, after pleading no contest to narcotics-related charges. Investigators said Gilbert was arrested after an undercover operation in which detectives purchased a trafficking amount of powder cocaine from her while her young child was standing beside her during the transaction.
Two additional sentences were handed down on December 23, 2025, involving what authorities described as large-scale methamphetamine trafficking. Steven P. Whalen, 50, was sentenced to 12 years in state prison following three separate undercover operations in which detectives purchased trafficking amounts of methamphetamine from him. Deputies said Whalen was also in possession of a trafficking amount of methamphetamine at the time of his arrest.
Cynthia L. Turner, 36, was sentenced to eight years in the Florida Department of Corrections, followed by seven years of drug offender probation. Investigators said Turner was the target of four undercover operations, with three of the purchases involving trafficking-level quantities of methamphetamine.
“These cases show that those who sell narcotics in our community are held accountable,” said Sheriff Bill Prummell. “This isn’t about addiction. It’s about a conscious choice to sell deadly poison, putting our residents and visitors in danger.”
The cases were investigated by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit.
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