PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — After a two-day trial, 36-year-old Justin Michael O’Neil was found guilty as charged of trafficking 200 grams or more of amphetamine, trafficking in four grams or more of illegal drugs and transportation of drug paraphernalia.
Back in August of 2020, a Corporal and Sergeant with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office stopped a driver who was speeding in a residential area of Punta Gorda around 2:30 a.m.
When the driver, later identified as O’Neil, pulled into a driveway, law enforcement turned on their lights and siren to conduct a traffic stop. O’Neil put the car in drive, but had nowhere to go, as he was already in a driveway.
A canine partner named “Lady Bird” sniffed around the vehicle and alerted that there were drugs in the car.
Law enforcement found many different baggies on the car’s front seat containing 363 grams of methamphetamine and 6 grams of heroin. After finding these, law enforcement took O’Neil into custody.
