A convicted felon out of prison less than a year for fentanyl trafficking was found guilty of the same offense Thursday and sentenced to 30 years, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Branden Gywayne Given, 41, was found guilty as charged of Trafficking in Fentanyl (28 grams or more) and Trafficking in Methamphetamine (200 grams of more). Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark sentenced the defendant to 30 years on each charge, to run concurrently. That includes a minimum-mandatory 25 years on the fentanyl charge.
“This defendant has shown a reckless disregard for both Florida’s drug laws and the safety of our community having just been released from prison for trafficking in fentanyl a year before this crime,” Prosecutor Frank Sullivan said. “Now with our enhanced penalties for fentanyl traffickers we can make sure he will not have the opportunity to put his poison on our streets for a long time.”
The defendant was arrested with 82 grams of fentanyl and 1,059 grams of methamphetamine. Fentanyl is extremely potent – 2 mg is considered a lethal dose, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration – and there are 1,000 milligrams in a gram.
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Members of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigation Division arrested the defendant on Jan. 1, 2024. He was released from prison Feb. 8, 2023.
Sullivan called 5 witnesses and produced evidence – including the large amount of fentanyl and methamphetamine for jurors to see – proving the defendant had two active felony warrants for his arrest on Jan. 1, 2024. SID investigators conducted a traffic stop to execute those arrest warrant and subsequently obtained search warrants for the defendant’s residence.
During that search they found fentanyl and meth. Jurors deliberated for about an hour.
Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its proactive work in preventing such a large quantify of drugs from hitting the streets.
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.