Tampa, Florida - U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday today sentenced Edward W. Prickett (53, Auburndale) to eight years in federal prison for possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it.
Prickett had pleaded guilty on Nov. 26, 2019.
According to court documents, on Aug. 22, 2019, Prickett was a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over by an officer with the Lake Wales Police Department. As the officer approached the vehicle, he saw Prickett attempting to conceal a green bag under the dashboard. The officer called for a narcotics detection dog, which alerted positively to the vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and recovered the green bag, which contained approximately 182 grams of methamphetamine that had been packaged for distribution.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lake Wales Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Callan L. Albritton.
This investigation is also the result of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
