Jonathan Richard Pesek was adjudicated guilty and sentenced to 15 years in prison for Trafficking in Methamphetamines 200 grams or more. He was also sentenced to 15 years in prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, in an unrelated case. The sentences are to run concurrently.
Assistant State Attorney Olivia Ferrell prosecuted the cases.
The drug trafficking case started on March 30, 2022, when U.S. Postal Inspectors in Fort Myers, identified a suspicious package from California, that had similar labeling on it and characteristics to other parcels identified in narcotics seizures nationwide. It was addressed to a woman in Cape Coral who had died the year prior, but the defendant was confirmed to be living at the same address and receiving mail.
Florida Highway Patrol K-9 Thor was brought to the scene to conduct a sniff test and alerted for the presence of narcotics. Postal Inspectors authorized a Federal Search Warrant to examine the parcel.
Inside was an envelope containing a zip-lock bag filled with 472 pills that were identified as Amphetamine and Dextroamphetamine but later tested positive for methamphetamine. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics and Gang Unit then got involved in the investigation. They began surveillance on the defendant’s apartment and the Cape Coral post office where the package was now waiting.
The defendant was called by a postal employee, with the assistance of law enforcement, to let him know a package was available for pick-up. The defendant confirmed his identity and displayed knowledge of the package. He arrived at the post office and showed his identification to retrieve the package containing the drugs. As he began to walk away, he was detained by detectives.
The defendant provided a statement and admitted buying the illegal narcotics from the Dark Web to resell them and admitted using his deceased grandmother’s name to place orders.
The firearm charge stems from an earlier case where the defendant, a convicted felon, was found to have a firearm in his possession.
Samantha Syoen – Communications Director, State Attorney’s Office