Hendry County Drug Dealer Sentenced

Carlton Rush was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by 8 years of probation for Sale of a Controlled Substance within 1,000 ft. of a Church, a first-degree felony. He was selling crack cocaine in the city of Clewiston. Rush was found guilty at trial in August 2019.

The Clewiston Police Department led the investigation into this crime. During trial, evidence was presented that in early 2017, Rush gave a confidential informant a phone number to call for the purposes of buying illegal drugs.

When the number was called over the course of several days, different people answered. On February 28, 2017, a woman delivering drugs for the defendant met the informant and an undercover police officer with the Clewiston Police. She provided them crack cocaine prepared by Rush. The defendant was then arrested. The woman who sold the drugs had a separate case and was sentenced previously.

Assistant State Attorney Evan Chaput tried the case before the Honorable Judge James Sloan in Hendry County.

Samantha Syoen
Communications Director
State Attorney’s Office
ssyoen@sao20.org
239-533-1125