Diligent, proactive law enforcement that began with a traffic stop ended with a woman pleading to drug charges and accepting a 25-year mandatory sentence, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Kayla Marie Bellflower, 33, of Panama City Beach, pled No Contest to Trafficking in Fentanyl (28 grams or more) and Sale or Possession with Intent to Sell. Circuit Court Judge Timothy Register adjudicated the defendant guilty and gave her the mandatory 25-year prison sentence under Florida’s enhanced drug trafficking laws. The defendant was also fined $500,000.
Prosecutor Jeffrey Moore was prepared to call witnesses and present evidence that Panama City Beach Police caught the defendant in possession of a large quantity of Fentanyl after a traffic stop March 13, 2023.
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The evidence would have shown that Panama City Beach Police Officer Michael McDowell stopped the defendant’s Mercedes around 7 p.m. March 13, 2023, for following too closely. During the stop, Cpl. Jeffrey Webber’s narcotics K9 conducted a “free air” search around the vehicle and alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle.
A subsequent search turned up about 40 grams of fentanyl, a highly potent and deadly narcotic. Narcotics paraphernalia and about $3,800 were recovered as well.
Arresting officers would have testified that the defendant admitted to buying and selling the narcotics to make money.
Basford complimented the Panama City Beach Police Department, and the officers involved for their proactive work during a time of heavy traffic on the beach.
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.