A Fountain man was sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined $100,000 Tuesday for Trafficking in 58 grams of Methamphetamine, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Armando Cavazos, 44, was found guilty Sept. 17 of Trafficking in Methamphetamine (between 28 grams and 200 grams) and Tampering with a Witness. The trafficking charge carried a minimum-mandatory 7-year prison sentence, and up to 30 years.
During sentencing, Prosecutor Christopher Walters asked for a stiff sentence and presented Bay County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jeremy Head, the case agent.
“These traffickers keep bringing in these deadly drugs with no thought of the consequences for themselves, the people they sell to, or the families of all involved,” Walters said. “He strategically used a person who was ‘easy prey’ that he could influence. I believe trafficking is a serious crime in and of itself, but when you add tampering to it, it makes it more serious.”
Cavazos was found guilty of contacting a witness from jail in an effort to place the blame on a co-defendant.
Sgt. Head told Judge Stephenson that while he would not ask for a specific sentence, he wanted the judge to know the harm that Cavazos and others like him have done to Fountain – where Head grew up. Head moved away but returned in 2010, dismayed by what he saw when he was assigned to patrol that area.
“What I found when I came back to the Fountain area actually appalled me,” he said, noting the proliferation of methamphetamine use and the decline in certain areas.
“People say drugs are a victimless crime, but unfortunately that’s not true,” he said, talking about the families of both the addicts and the dealers sent to prison. “And that wouldn’t happen if it weren’t for men like Mr. Cavazos so I think he should be held accountable.”
RELATED: Follow us on Facebook for fast updates
RELATED: Porter Sentenced for Killing Friend with Shot to the Head
Judge Stephenson agreed with the positions taken by Walters and Head, telling the defendant that while his crime did not merit the maximum sentence, “it deserves a very serious sentence.”
“This is a very serious offense,” Stephenson said. “It is not just a stub of the toe. In circumstances like this it is not a victimless crime.”
Stephenson then ordered that the defendant serve a 20-year prison sentence.
Witnesses and testimony presented at the trial by Walters proved that the defendant was under surveillance for drug activity when he was pulled over for a traffic violation July 21, 2023. A probable cause search of the vehicle turned up 58 grams of methamphetamine belonging to the defendant.
Basford thanked the Sheriff’s Office and SID for another investigation targeting a major dealer that concluded before the drugs could be sold on the street.
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.