A duffle bag full of cocaine was part of the evidence that led to Wellington Jose Tavarez Pichardo being convicted of Trafficking in Cocaine – 400 grams or more. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison this morning, immediately following the jury returning a guilty verdict after a four-day trial in Lee County.
Assistant State Attorney Olivia Ferrell prosecuted the case.
On October 6, 2023, the Cape Coral Police Department Vice, Investigations and Narcotics Unit received information about a large amount of cocaine and money being stored in a house in Cape Coral.
A Special Agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) then went to the home on N.E 14th Avenue to do surveillance.
While the Special Agent was sitting in an undercover vehicle, he noticed the defendant leave the home and walk up and down the street with a flashlight looking around. He then went back inside the home and then came out with a large duffle bag. He walked past the Special Agent in the car, and hid the duffle bag in some bushes, then walked back to his house.
Additional surveillance security was established, with members of the Cape Coral Police Department and additional DEA agents, arriving on scene. Law enforcement retrieved the duffle bag. Inside was 4,365 grams of cocaine. A search warrant was then obtained for the home and $10,716 in cash was found. The defendant was then taken into custody.
Samantha Syoen – State Attorney’s Office Communications Director