Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - drug deal gone bad

By Nicholas Dorsten, esq.

A recent online article is a reminder of how dangerous the world of illegal drug buys can still be. While I have blogged about drug deals before, this one is really tragic.

ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA — Buyer and seller had made this deal many times before, according to St. Petersburg police. One man was the drug dealer. Another man bought the illegal drugs. They had been at it for months, police said.

But something went wrong during Tuesday night's transaction, when police said one man shot and murdered the other man around 10:22 p.m. at the Peppertree Village Condos, 876 116th Ave. N.

The deceased was taken to Bayfront Medical Center with a gunshot wound to his upper body. The 25-year-old was pronounced dead at 11 p.m. in what police called a drug deal gone awry.

By Wednesday afternoon, undercover detectives tracked down the suspect at his home and took him into custody without incident.

The accused, 26, was arrested on a charge of second-degree murder.

A St. Petersburg Major said his detectives are still piecing together what happened that night but believe that the suspect may have become alarmed during his last deal with the victim.

The victim had arrived with three friends and approached the defendant's sport utility vehicle with a pistol stuck in his waistband, police said. So then he pulled out a revolver, shot the victim in the upper body and drove off, according to police.

Witnesses said the two men didn't even speak to each other before the shooting.

But the defendant left behind the gun, which police said they found.

Both suspect and victim have criminal records. The victim, who lived in St. Petersburg was first arrested at age 14 for burglary, records show.

He was also repeatedly arrested for aggravated assault with a weapon, aggravated battery, driving under the influence, grand theft, larceny, and possession and sale of morphine, according to state records.

The victim, also of St. Petersburg, was repeatedly arrested on charges of sale and possession of drugs from 2005 to 2007, records show


Been arrested on a drug offense? Need experienced drug crime lawyers? Then call Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free initial consultation. We handle all drug offenses including possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine, drug trafficking and many more.

For more information, or to speak directly with experienced criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email your questions: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located across from the 49th street Courthouse in Clearwater, at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104, Clearwater, 33762, minutes from St. Petersburg, Fl and Tampa.