TILDEN LAW – Orlando Criminal Attorney

Volusia County Sheriff’s officers made a surprising find while conducting a raid on a local residence.  Dozens of snakes, monitor lizards and other creatures were located in the home of James Walsh.  Walsh, 51, was arrested and charged with cultivation of marijuana, a felony and possession of drug paraphernalia.  Along with the arrest, Walsh was issued several citations by officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for  improper storage of a venomous reptile, possession of a venomous reptile without a permit and possession of a species of concern.

Two other people who were in the home when a search warrant was served may face charges, according to the sheriff’s department.  The raid came after an investigation into drug activity at the home that last several months.

Agents seized 13 marijuana plants, almost 50 grams of cultivated marijuana, a sawed-off shotgun and narcotics paraphernalia such as smoking devices and rolling paper and an array of growing equipment that included fans, lights and plant chemicals, Davidson said.

Three of the plants were found inside the house, while the other 10 were growing on a patio deck in the rear of the home, placed among tomato plants to conceal them from view.

Agents found 26 snakes – some as long as 14 feet – kept throughout the house in aquariums, glass cases and storage tubs.  Five of snakes – a rattlesnake, a water moccasin and three vipers – were venomous and were among 11 snakes seized by the wildlife officers.

If you have been arrested or charged with a Drug Crime or other criminal offense in the Orlando area and are facing criminal prosecution in either Orange County, Osceola County or Seminole County, Florida, contact the attorneys at Tilden Law for an initial and confidential consultation, 407-599-1234.

Winter Park Police Vice Squad unit arrested Rollins College and UCF students Monday night during an undercover drug bust.  Students at both colleges spent the night in the Orange County Jail after a sting operation netted both buyers and sellers of illegal drugs. 

Among those arrested was Keith Prusak, 25, who is accused of selling a pound of marijuana/cannabis to a undercover drug agent. 

Police set up shop at the house on Northwood Boulvevard, near Baldwain Park, after arresting four or five occupants, spokesman Officer Jim Whitman said. All together, police seized three pounds of marijuana, four ounces of hallucinogenic mushrooms, 14 grams of cocaine, two pistols and $12,840 in cash. Of those arrested,  five defendants identified themselves as students.

The defendants included two or three from Rollins College and one or two from UCF, Whitman said.  One student arrested, Cory Fritch, 22, listed his home address as the Rollins campus on Holt Avenue in Winter Park. After agents sold him a small amount of pot from agents, they discovered he possessed almost a half-ounce of cocaine, records show

If you have been arrested or charged with a Drug Crime or other criminal offense in the Orlando area and are facing criminal prosecution in either Orange County, Osceola County or Seminole County, Florida, contact the attorneys at Tilden Law for an initial and confidential consultation, 407-599-1234.

Two Orlando men were arrested earlier today after being stopped by an Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy for a traffic infraction.  Deputy Richard Febo pulled over driver Derrick Newton, 30, who was driving with his door open while trying to flirt with a woman in the parking lot near Hiawassee and Silver Star roads. When asked by the Deputy why he was driving with his door open, Newton reportedly stated, “Man, I was hollering at that girl.”

 As Deputy Febo spoke with Newton, he could smell marijuana coming from Newton’s vehicle and called for a back-up deputy to assist him.  After stepping outside his vehicle, Newton agreed to be patted down, but would not let the deputy search his car and told the deputy he didn’t have an illegal guns or drugs, according to an arrest report.

The Deputy’s search of Newton’s vehicle netted 40.7 grams of crack cocaine, 249.7 grams of marijuana and a loaded .357 revolver, according to the report. Deputies also found a large pink purse in the trunk, which held a digital scale and most of the marijuana, the report stated.

Newton’s passenger, Andrew Johnson, was also arrested. Deputies found more than $4,960 in Johnson’s pockets when he was patted down. Johnson told deputies he recently sold a gold necklace for $3,800, but couldn’t tell deputies where he sold it and didn’t have a receipt.  He later changed his story about why he had so much cash in his pockets, according to his arrest affidavit.

Johnson was charged with seven counts, including drug and gun charges. Newton is facing six charges, including trafficking in cocaine and possession of a firearm in commission of a felony. He faced an additional charge of introducing contraband into the jail, after he told officials he had marijuana in his wallet, reports show.

Both men are being held at the Orange County Jail on more than $100,000 bond each.

An Osceola county Postman was arrested and held in the Seminole County Jail without bond on allegations of drug delivery and use while on his delivery rout. Kissimmee Postal worker, Juan Fonseca, 37, is accused of delivering tens of thousands of dollars worth of cocaine and marijuana to empty homes and residences in foreclosure in Osceola County, federal officials have said.

Fonseca was originally picked up on state charges, but is now charged in a criminal complaint on counts of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, conspiring to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, and mail theft by a postal employee.

According to the criminal complaint filed against the men, a postal inspector in September found a suspicious package addressed to an address on Philadelphia Circle, Kissimmee, and determined it contained about 24 pounds of marijuana. Several days later, the inspector found another package addressed to the Philadelphia Circle residence, and found out it contained about 22 pounds of marijuana. In November, postal inspectors found another suspicious package mailed from Puerto Rico to an address on Alaqua Trail, Kissimmee. Inspectors seized the package and found more than five pounds of cocaine

If you have been arrested or charged with a Drug Crime or other criminal offense in the Orlando area and are facing criminal prosecution in either Orange County, Osceola County or Seminole County, Florida, contact the attorneys at Tilden Law for an initial and confidential consultation, 407-599-1234.

Sanford, FL – 14 search warrants were executed by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and several other agencies resulting in the seizure of 216 pounds of packaged marijuana and multiple arrests. Included in those arrested were the homes residents were Victor Mungia, Eduardo Mungia and Milton Soto-Morales, who were booked into the Lake County Jail. All three were arrested on charges of armed trafficking in marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Witnesses said U.S. Marshals arrived at a home at the corner of Sabal Palm Drive and Summit Ridge Place in Longwood on Thursday morning in full riot gear. Deputies were also at the home to arrest at least one suspect in the wide-reaching drug ring, which authorities said stretches beyond Longwood and throughout Central Florida.

If you have been arrested or charged with a criminal offense in Orlando and are facing criminal prosecution in either Orange County, Seminole County, Florida, contact the attorneys at Tilden Law for an initial and confidential consultation, 407-599-1234.

TILDEN LAW was recently successful in defending a client charged with a drug offense which resulted in all criminal charges being dropped.   According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department arrest report, our client was initially stopped for throwing a lighted cigarette out of his window while driving his vehicle on Colonial Drive in Orlando, Florida.  After being advised the reason for the stop, the Deputy requested permission to search our client’s vehicle which he refused.

A K-9 unit was called to the scene of the stop to conduct a canine search from the vehicle’s exterior.  According to the report, the K-9 units sweep search of the vehicle resulted in a “hit” or positive indication of drugs.  A search of the interior of the vehicle revealed a bag of Marijuana and two marijuana smoking pipes in the center console. 

Immediately after being retained by our client, attorney N. Fleetwood Tilden, filed pleadings entering a plea of not guilty as to all charges and requested copies of all drug tests conducted.  Mr. Tilden also petitioned the State Attorney’s office to dismiss all charges against his client.  As a result, the Orange County State Attorney’s office agreed with our request, dismissing all charges against our client.

If you have been arrested or charged with a Drug crime in Orlando and are facing criminal prosecution in either Orange County, Seminole County, Florida, contact the criminal defense attorneys at TILDEN LAW for an initial and confidential consultation, 407-599-1234.

A Debary, Florida man has been accused of running a prescription drug ring employing as many as 30 people.  According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s office, John Davey was arrested and held in jail on a $1 Million bond.  Investigators believe Davey forged pprescriptions for Xenix, an anti-anxiety and pain killer drug.  People in Davey’s employ would then take the forged prescription to a local pharmacy to get the prescription filled and then pay the employees in either cash or drugs.

According to Deputies, Davey had prescriptions for more than 14,000 pills with an estimated street value of $200,000.  Davey was arrested after investigators with the Sheriff’s office followed him and two of his employees to a pharmacy where they allegedly obtained a filled pprescription for oxycodone.

If you have been arrested or charged with a Drug offense in Orlando and are facing criminal drug prosecution in either Orange County or Seminole County, Florida,  contact the attorneys at TILDEN LAW for an initial and confidential consultation, 407-599-1234.

Central Florida’s largest Ecstasy bust in recent years resulted in seizure of eight pounds of the drug according to the federal Drug Enforcement Agency.

Claude Amir and Yair Harrosch, both Canadian nationals, were arrested at the Cascade Apartments in Daytona Beach Shores, where he drug was being packed into capsules for consumption. Known by many street names Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has been a popular illegal drug since the rave parties of the 1990’s. Priced at up to $30 a capsule, the drug induces euphoria and mild hallucinations.

Amar, 37, and Harrosch, 27, made their first appearances in federal court in Orlando on Tuesday, September 1, 2009. Each faces a charge of possession with the intent to distribute MDMA. Both men were appointed public defenders.

According to a criminal complaint signed by a DEA task force agent, a confidential informant had been talking to Amar in recent weeks about the prospect of Amar selling him MDMA. On Monday, the informant and Amar met at a Daytona Beach restaurant, and Amar told the informant he bought four kilograms of pure MDMA for $100,000, and spent $3,000 to transport the drug from Canada. Amar told the informant he would sell the pure MDMA to him for $40,000 per kilogram. After lunch, the informant and Amar went to Amar’s home at the Cascade Apartments. That’s where the informant saw Harrosch weighing MDMA and packing the drug.

The informant bought $2,500.00 worth of MDMA from Amar. Amar told the informant the MDMA was enough to manufacture 500 pills. Soon after, Amar and Harrosch were arrested.

If you have been arrested or charged with a drug offense in either Orange County or Seminole County or any Orlando area court, contact the experienced drug defense attorney at Tilden Law for a free initial consultation, 407-599-1234.

Although locals claimed the hot dogs were lousy and the customers were few, Hot Dog City was making millions of dollars. The financial success had nothing to do with the food: The business was allegedly a front for a cocaine-and-marijuana operation run by a homegrown gang gone big time, drug agents said.

Newly released documents paint a picture of a violent group that hid in plain sight on the main drag of this historic city, down the street from the police station. At night, they went home to a quiet, working-class neighborhood nearby. Soon, people realized something was wrong.

Cars came and went at all hours at the homes of Daniel Perez, 27, accused of leading the Westside gang, and his brother David Perez, 25. The brothers disappeared for days at a time. Nobody seemed to work. “You don’t have brand-new vehicles in your yard and not have a job,” said one neighbor, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals.

In May, drug agents raided five homes and businesses, confiscating cars, guns and cash. Sixteen people were arrested. Most remain jailed. Two more are on the run. Most are charged with conspiracy to traffic cocaine. Daniel Perez could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted of directing the activities of a criminal gang. He also is charged with racketeering, conspiracy to traffic cocaine and money laundering.

Members operated the hot-dog shop and a secretarial service elsewhere in Winter Garden, arrest papers show. Although they didn’t do much business, the hot dogs in particular were unpopular, neighboring shopkeepers said, a steady flow of money was deposited into corporate accounts. Investigators said it came from drug profits. “It gives it the appearance of legitimacy,” said the lead case agent, Brent Harrison of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

The arrests stemmed from a painstaking 11-month investigation that involved intercepted cell-phone conversations among gang members, surveillance, bank records and the use of informants.

If you have been charged with Drug Possession or Trafficking of Drugs in Orange County or Seminole County, Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense lawyers at Tilden Law for a free initial consultation.

A man, whose daughter was killed by his pet python in July, was arrested on Friday and charged with selling cocaine in Oxford, Florida.

Police said Charles Darnell, 32, sold the drug to undercover Sumter County agents.

The arrest was a result of a one-week operation where agents allegedly made two separate buys from Darnell at his home in Oxford. On both occasions, undercover agents purchased powdered cocaine. 

The transactions occurred at the front yard of Darnell’s residence. The Special Investigations Squad conducted a field test on the purchased product, which came back positive for cocaine. 

Darnell was charged with two counts of sale of cocaine, two counts of possession of cocaine with intent to sell, two counts of unlawful use of a two-way communication device and two counts of keep shop for dangerous drugs. His bond has been set at $110,000. 

Shaiunna Hare, 2, was killed in July in Sumter County when her family’s 8-foot python got out of its enclosure and strangled the child. Officials are investigating whether the snake’s cage met the proper requirements. Police said Darnell, the owner of the snake, also did not have the required permit for the snake. 

If you have been charged with Possession of Drugs or Paraphernalia in Orange County or Seminole County, Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense lawyers at Tilden Law for a free initial consultation.