A Punta Gorda man is facing a minimum of 20 years in prison after being found guilty of trafficking drugs and drug paraphernalia, according to the State Attorney's Office.
Officials say Vincent Patrick Niles was found guilty of Possession of Amphetamine, Trafficking of Fentanyl with the special finding of 14 grams or more, and Possession of Paraphernalia.
The special finding on the trafficking charge requires a minimum mandatory prison sentencing of 20 years.
The charges stem from an October 2023 case that was investigated by the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, where drugs were being trafficked from Sarasota County to Charlotte County.
Officials say Niles was seen receiving illegal narcotics, as a drug mule, while meeting with drug suppliers in a parking lot off of Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota.
Niles then left the parking lot and go onto I-75, where he was then pulled over for speeding by the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.
A traffic stop was conducted, and deputies found a syringe in Niles' pocket that later tested positive for heroin, as well as two locked boxes of methamphetamine.
After Niles was arrested and his truck was towed, deputies obtained a search warrant and found large quantities of fentanyl and more methamphetamine in plastic bags, hidden in a secret compartment under the center console.
Niles is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 24.