A woman arrested last year with a trafficking amount of fentanyl in her possession was found guilty as charged Tuesday, according to State Attorney Larry Basford.
Priscilla Lawanda Rolle, 44, of Panama City, was found guilty Tuesday of Trafficking in Fentanyl (more than 4 grams but less than 14). Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson ordered the defendant held without bond until her sentencing for Oct. 29. She faces a minimum-mandatory 7 years in prison under Florida’s Trafficking Statutes, and up to 30 years for the first-degree felony.
Prosecutor Josh James called witnesses and presented evidence that the defendant was in possession of the fentanyl on Aug. 11, 2023.
The evidence showed the defendant was driving on 15th Street when she was stopped by Bay County Sheriff’s Office investigators for a traffic violation.
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Inv. Doug Cummings’ K-9 “Fila” conducted a free air sniff around the vehicle and alerted for the presence of narcotics near the driver’s door. Panama City police dispatched a female officer to assist with the search. The officer testified she found two baggies of suspected narcotics in the defendant’s bra. Each baggie held about 3.5 grams of suspected fentanyl.
The jury deliberated for about 25 minutes.
Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its work, and Cummings for another successful deployment of “Fila.”
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.