Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington has sentenced Andre Adams, Jr. (43, Bradenton) to 19 years in federal prison for possession of 500 grams or more of cocaine, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and 40 grams or more of fentanyl with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Adams to forfeit four firearms and assorted ammunition. A federal jury found Adams guilty on July 17, 2024.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, after a complaint from a concerned citizen, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) began investigating an unknown individual in Bradenton for selling fentanyl and using a finance app for payment. Investigators determined the identity of the individual as Andre Adams, Jr. Over the next several months, investigators observed frequent visitors to Adams’s residence. The visitors briefly met with Adams and appeared to make exchanges with him. Adams’s finance app records showed that tens of thousands of dollars had been paid to Adams over a short period of time. Many of the senders had known drug addiction issues and used coded drug language such as “Scooby snacks,” a street term for heroin or fentanyl.
On August 4, 2022, detectives with MCSO executed a search warrant at Adams’s residence and located a loaded handgun, scales, drug cutting agents, a money counter, a kilo press, $22,000 in cash, 55 grams of methamphetamine, 400 grams of cocaine, and 80 grams of fentanyl. Later that day, investigators executed a search warrant at Adams’s storage unit and located two kilograms of cocaine, more than 350 grams of methamphetamine, drug cutting agents, and a digital scale. They also seized three additional firearms, including an AK-47 rifle, and several dozen rounds of ammunition.
Prior to August 2022, Adams had been convicted of trafficking in cocaine and served 15 years in Florida state prison. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shauna S. Hale.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.