PALATKA, Fla. – A four-month narcotics investigation culminated early Friday with the arrest of a suspected regional drug supplier after a multi-agency task force executed a search warrant at a Palatka residence and seized large quantities of illegal drugs, firearms, and cash-equivalent contraband.
On Friday, January 16, 2026, agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement-led HIDTA Tri-County Narcotics Task Force, alongside detectives from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and the Palatka Police Department, served a search warrant at 120 Schwing Lane. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Team secured the residence.
Investigators said the warrant stemmed from a months-long probe into the Samuel Williams Jr. Drug Trafficking Organization, believed to be supplying narcotics across Putnam, Clay, St. Johns, and Duval counties.
As agents moved in, 48-year-old Samuel Bennard Williams Jr. fled the home on foot, but was quickly located and tracked by the Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit using thermal imaging technology. He was apprehended without incident.
Inside the residence, agents recovered a significant cache of drugs and weapons, including 138 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 28 grams of suspected fentanyl, 166 grams of cocaine (crack and powder combined), 269 grams of synthetic ecstasy (“Molly”), 16 ecstasy pills, nearly 300 grams of marijuana, along with a firearm, ammunition, and drug packaging materials.
Based on the seizure and prior surveillance, investigators say Williams was operating as a high-level distributor rather than a street-level dealer.
Williams now faces multiple felony charges, including armed trafficking in methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and synthetic ecstasy, along with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, maintaining a drug dwelling, possession of marijuana with intent to sell, and resisting arrest without violence. Several of the charges carry mandatory minimum prison sentences, including a 25-year minimum for armed trafficking in fentanyl.
Williams was transported to the Putnam County Jail and is being held without bond. The case will be prosecuted by the 7th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office.
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