South Fort Myers man arrested, accused of making drugs in his apartment

Javier Vargas, 23. (Credit: Lee County Sheriff’s Office)

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man they say had a narcotics lab in his apartment.

Deputies arrested 23-year-old Javier Vargas after Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers received tips from concerned neighbors.

The sheriff’s office says inside Vargas’ apartment on the 1600 block of Park Meadows Drive in south Fort Myers, they found multiple dangerous chemicals, gas torches, and extension cords running throughout the house.

They also found 28 mature marijuana plants and 34 smaller juvenile plants. In total, 56.4 pounds of marijuana plants were recovered.

Drug-making equipment found in Vargas’ apartment. (Credit Lee County Sheriff’s Office)

Deputies say the items found were being used to manufacture and package narcotics.

Vargas is being held in the Lee County Jail on a $40,000 bond. He is facing charges of marijuana possession, production, and trafficking.

Local Headlines

Endangered smalltooth sawfish deaths more than double since mid-March

Wildlife officials announced five more endangered smalltooth sawfish mortalities occurred during the ongoing abnormal fish behavior event in the Florida Keys.

2 people wanted in multiple Fort Myers burglaries

Crime Stoppers is seeking information on two suspects who are wanted in multiple burglaries in Fort Myers.

Convicted Tampa armed robber faces 100 years in prison after a traffic stop in Collier County

A man known as the “Beretta Bandit,” who had been convicted of several armed robberies in Tampa, faces a lifetime in prison after a 2021 Collier County traffic stop led to his arrest.