'Large-Scale' Drug Dealer In Sarasota Sentenced To Jail

SARASOTA, FL — A 37-year-old Sarasota man, identified by police as a major drug distributor, has been sentenced by a federal judge to 15 years in prison. Aquiles S. Lee also was ordered by Judge James Whittemore to undergo five years of supervised release after he completes his prison sentence.

"Lee was identified as a large-scale distributor of illegal narcotics, specifically rock cocaine, in the city of Sarasota, explained Genevieve Judge of the Sarasota Police Department in announcing the sentence on Tuesday.

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In February, Lee was indicted by a grand jury on three counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base. He was later charged with additional offenses, including weapon violations. The case was prosecuted with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Gerard.

Judge said the investigation was conducted by Sarasota police and the Drug Enforcement Administration starting at the beginning of the year.

A search warrant at Lee's home in the 5100 block of David Avenue turned up a number of weapons and thousands of dollars in cash.

Here's what police found:

• Five handguns
• One AK 47 assault rifle
• One Mac 10 sub machine gun
• Hundreds of rounds of varying ammunition
• More than $33,000 in U.S. currency
• Two vehicles
• Approximately 150 grams of rock cocaine.

Photo of Aquiles S. Lee and weapons recovered by police during their investigation courtesy Sarasota Police Department