The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office conducted a raid Wednesday morning of a house where it was suspected that marijuana was being collected and sold. The raid led to two arrests plus the seizure of marijuana, cash, and a gun among other things.
The investigation began with a tip from a community member. This placed the residence, located on Third Court in Bunnell, on the FCSO’s ‘high-interest target list’, and an undercover operation was initiated. The investigation culminated in a search warrant being served by the agency’s Special Investigations Unit and SWAT team.
Located by detectives was 625 grams of marijuana, 199 THC cartridges, $9,740 in cash, scales and packing materials, and one firearm. Two arrests were made: 27-year-old Kyle Ellis and his cousin, 38-year-old Glenn Fletcher. Ellis was reportedly inside the home when the search began, while detectives found Fletcher running toward the building from elsewhere. They reportedly ordered him to stop as he raced up to yell something at Ellis.
Ellis was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was booked into the county jail without bond, an especially striking detail considering how close Florida came to passing a legalized recreational marijuana amendment in November.
Fletcher was also arrested, charged with obstruction of service or execution of a search warrant. He posted his $500 bond about four hours later. Of the two, only Ellis has prior charges in Flagler County. In 2016 Ellis was charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia plus underage alcohol possession. In 2017 he was charged with two counts of marijuana possession (one with intent to distribute), plus possession of drug paraphernalia. In 2018 he was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
“I want to thank the concerned resident who ‘saw something and said something’ and helped us shut down another drug house,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “I commend our detectives and SWAT team for safely serving this search warrant and helping us put this dealer in the [county jail]. If you are an illegal drug dealer doing business in Flagler County, I suggest you pack up and hit the road because we’re coming for you next.”
