Haley Jacklyn Podzunas, of Naples, has been found guilty as charged of Trafficking in Phenethylamines – 10 Grams or More, following a two-day trial in Lee County.
Assistant State Attorneys Melanie Sanders and Taryn Vaughn prosecuted the case.
On February 26, 2023, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop in Lehigh Acres, after an SUV did not stop at a stop sign. Deputies observed the driver jump into the rear passenger seat and start throwing baggies out of a purse she was holding. The driver refused to identify herself but was identified through a vehicle tag search as the defendant.
As she was being placed in the patrol car, she said, “don’t forget my black purse from the back seat.” Deputies searched the vehicle and collected multiple baggies that had been thrown on the floor. They contained 11.83 grams of Cyputylone, which is a substituted cathinone derivative with stimulant effects.
Sentencing is set for February 12, 2024.
Samantha Syoen – Communications Director, State Attorney’s Office