A woman arrested with about 43 grams of methamphetamine during a Bay County Sheriff’s Office investigation has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after entering a plea to trafficking, State Attorney Larry Basford said.
Catherine Denise Merritt, 54, of Panama City, was charged with Trafficking in Methamphetamine (between 28 and 200 grams). She must serve a minimum-mandatory 7 years under Florida’s enhanced drug trafficking Statutes. Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark also levied a $100,000 fine.
Prosecutor Zachary VanDyke was prepared to call witnesses and present evidence proving the defendant was in possession of the methamphetamine when Bay County Sheriff’s Deputies served a search warrant on a South Jan Drive residence May 31, 2022.
The testimony would have shown that deputies found the defendant and a co-defendant in a small, debris-filled room in the rear of the residence. On the couch, underneath the defendant’s bag, deputies found 43 grams of methamphetamine.
Smaller amounts of the drug were found in the residence, along with numerous syringes and drug paraphernalia.
“The Sheriff’s Office gave us a good case to prosecute and also kept most of the drugs from making it to the streets,” VanDyke said. “The conditions inside the residence and the amount of trash and debris did not stop them from finding the drugs. The self-incriminating statements they obtained from the defendant were crucial to resolving this with a plea.”
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Deputies questioned the defendant, who admitted she had 3 ounces of methamphetamine delivered to the residence the night before in a Funyuns bag. That bag was found next to the seized drugs. She said they had already sold ¼ ounce.
Basford thanked the Sheriff’s Office for its proactive work and quick reaction that resulted in the arrests and seizure.
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.