Drug trafficker Samantha Jean James was sentenced today to 15 years in prison as a Habitual Felony Offender (HFO) in three drug cases in Charlotte County.
Assistant State Attorney Nolan Deming prosecuted the cases.
The defendant pled straight to the court. This is not a plea agreement. Defendants can give up their right to a jury trial and make a plea to the court. She was adjudicated guilty and sentenced as follows:
In the first two cases, the defendant sold a trafficking amount of methamphetamine to a confidential informant.
Case #23-001835CF
Count I: Trafficking in Methamphetamine 28 grams or more: 15 years in prison as an HFO, $100,000 fine, 6-month driver’s license suspension
Count II: Sale or Delivery of a Controlled Substance: 15 years in prison as an HFO
Case #23-001836CF
Count I: Trafficking in methamphetamine 14 grams or more: 15 years in prison as an HFO, $50,000 fine, 6-month driver’s license suspension
Count II: Sale or Delivery of a Controlled Substance: 15 years in prison as an HFO
In the third case, the defendant sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant and an undercover law enforcement officer.
Case #24-000587CF
Count I: Unlawful Use of a Communication Device: 10 years in prison as an HFO
Count II: Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Sell or Deliver: 15 years in prison as an HFO
Count III: Sale or Delivery of a Controlled Substance: 15 years in prison as an HFO, 6-month driver’s license suspension
Count IV: Possession of Paraphernalia: Credit time served of 338 days
All of the sentences are to be concurrent.
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division investigated the cases.
The defendant has a pending drug trafficking case.
Samantha Syoen – State Attorney’s Office Communications Director