Guilty verdict in drug case resulting from a traffic stop

Author: Office of the State Attorney
Published:
Juan Manuel Reyes (LCSO)

Juan Manuel Reyes was found guilty as charged of Possession of Marijuana, Possession of
Cocaine, Trafficking in Cocaine, Trafficking by Possession in Amphetamine, Giving a False
Name by Person Arrested or Detained, and Possession of Paraphernalia. The jury delivered the guilty verdict just before 7 p.m. Tuesday following a one-day trial in Lee County.

In January of this year, a deputy with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on the defendant’s vehicle, a Chevy Tahoe, on Three Oaks Parkway for an obstructed tag. The registered owner of the tag was shown to have an outstanding warrant when the deputy looked up the tag on his computer.

As the deputy approached the vehicle, he could smell marijuana. Based on this, the deputy told the defendant a search would be conducted. Reyes then reached into the center console and pulled out a container of marijuana and handed it to the deputy. During a brief search of the vehicle, baggies of cocaine were found in an Altoids container in the same center console.

While being processed into the Lee County Jail, it was revealed that the defendant gave a false name at the time of the arrest. The defendant admitted to a detective that his real name was Juan Manuel Reyes.

While the defendant was in custody at the Lee County Jail, a search warrant was executed on his SUV at the impound lot. More than 28 grams of methamphetamine and more than 54 grams of cocaine were found underneath the back seat.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2020. The defendant faces more than 17 years in prison. Assistant State Attorney Michael Curley prosecuted the case.

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