3 sentenced in Charlotte County following drug investigation

Three people were arrested and sentenced following a narcotic investigation done by the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.

On Dec. 10, Crystal R. Gilbert was sentenced to seven years in the Florida Department of Corrections, followed by five years of probation.

Gilbert's sentence resulted from an undercover operation where she sold a trafficking amount of powder cocaine while her young child was present.

Steven P. Whalen and Cynthia L. Turner, both large-scale methamphetamine dealers, received lengthy sentences on Dec. 23.

Whalen was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being involved in three undercover operations. Turner received an eight-year sentence, followed by seven years of Drug Offender Probation, linked to four undercover operations.

Sheriff Bill Prummell emphasized the importance of accountability in these cases.

"When we share our narcotics arrests with the community, there are often some people who express doubt that the suspects will be held accountable. As you can see from these three individuals, they are," said Prummell.

He praised his Narcotics Unit for their diligence.

"My Narcotics Unit does an excellent job putting cases together, backed with solid evidence, to ensure the people doing this in our community are locked away," said Prummell.

Prummell stressed the seriousness of these crimes.

"This isn’t about addiction. It’s about a conscious choice to sell deadly poison, putting our residents and visitors in danger," said Prummell.