NAPLES, FL - October 13, 2020 - According to an online news report posted on the Florida news site winknews.com, a man and a woman were arrested in East Naples after Collier County Sheriff's deputies discovered fentanyl, blowtorches, and other drug equipment in one of the suspect's case during a traffic stop. The female suspect, a 24-year-old woman from North Naples, and a 26-year-old East Naples man now face several drug crimes charges.
According to the Collier County Sheriff's Office arrest report, Collier County Sheriff's deputies pulled over a tan Buick SUV for a routine traffic stop along Santa Barbara Boulevard at approximately 2:15 a.m. The report asserts that the Collier County Sheriff's deputies had reasonable cause to conduct a search of the defendant's car because the deputies noticed the female driver and her passenger were moving inside the car in a suspicious manner. The report asserts that the driver attempted to hide a cigar box underneath the front passenger seat after grabbing something from the rear floorboard.
Collier County Sheriff's deputies discovered the box contained a square piece of aluminum foil that had burn marks on it and contained a brown substance inside of the foil. The foil was in plain sight as it was lying on the front passenger floorboard. The arrest reports stated that the man attempted to hide the aluminum foil by stepping on the foil with his foot. The Collier County Sheriff's deputies also found a small blue blow torch that was stored inside the car's center console.
Collier County Sheriff's deputies quickly identified the combination of the tin foil with the brown residue and the blow torch as objects commonly used to "chase" or "cook" crystal methamphetamine or heroin. According to arrest reports, the items are used to burn the narcotic into a vapor that is then inhaled to induce a drug high.
As the Collier County Sheriff's deputies ordered the female to step out of the motor vehicle, the woman shoved what resembled to be a drug pipe inside the front of her pants. The Collier County Sheriff's deputies removed the used "meth pipe" that contained burnt residue, along with a clear plastic bag that contained a crystal meth-like substance from the suspect's waistband. The Sheriff's deputies performed a field-test, and the test turned positive for methamphetamine.
As the Collier County Sheriff's deputies searched the rest of the suspect's motor vehicle, they discovered 100 small clear plastic bags that are usually used for packaging drugs. The baggies were discovered in the front passenger seat door panel. Collier County Sheriff's deputies also found a black cigar box underneath the man's seat, and the cigar box contained two glass vials of an unknown powdery substance along with two more small clear plastic bags with a drug that deputies believed to be fentanyl. The Collier County Sheriff's deputies field-tested one of the bags, which tested positive for fentanyl. The other bag was sent for lab analysis at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The Collier County Sheriff's deputies searched the brown cigar box, and the brown cigar box contained $60 cash, several empty, clear bags, two cut straws containing drug residue, two vials of an off-white powdery material, and one clear bag containing a white powder. The Collier County Sheriff's deputies tested the white powder, and it turned up positive for fentanyl.
Inside the car, Collier County Sheriff's deputies discovered several aluminum foil rolls throughout the suspect's motor vehicle, butane fuel, and two more blowtorches.
The two suspects were then placed under arrest, and the two were booked into the Collier County jail.
The female suspect has been charged with possession of a synthetic narcotic with intent to purchase, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of narcotic paraphernalia. She also faces charges of possession of narcotic paraphernalia and possession of a synthetic narcotic with intent to purchase.
The male suspect is charged with violating an injunction for protection against domestic violence previously filed against him by the female suspect. The Collier County Sheriff's deputies are continuing their investigation.