MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – An Ocala man has been sentenced to 25 years for drug trafficking-related charges.

Origin of arrest

On May 27, 2024, just before 6 p.m., an officer with the Ocala Police Department (OPD) witnessed a sedan driving with broken tail lights.

The officer triggered his patrol car’s emergency lights to signal the vehicle to pull over. After failing to stop, the sedan driver eventually pulled over and turned off the engine.

The officer approached the vehicle and contacted the driver, who was later identified as 64-year-old Frederick Leon Fraziars. At the same time, a fellow officer who had just arrived conducted an open-air sniff around the vehicle with a K9.

OPD says the K9 alerted to the presence of narcotics. Fraziars and a fellow occupant in the car were asked to step out of the vehicle.

OPD officers say they witnessed Fraziars attempting to grab two cups from the middle cup holder as he stepped out. The officers told Fraziars to put the cups down.

Authorities then conducted a vehicle search, where they located an orange pill bottle inside one of the cups Fraziars attempted to remove that contained a white powdery substance.

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Officers say they also found a razor blade and a pipe that contained a white powdery substance.

The white-substance was field tested positive for cocaine.

Officers then turned their heads towards the vehicle’s occupants, where they located a “large amount” of folded money in Fraziars’ pocket. Through the denominations of the money, officers found it consistent with street-level narcotics sales.

Officers then slapped the cuffs on Fraziars and the fellow occupant. Fraziars admitted to ownership of everything found in the car.

Fraziars had been out of prison for two years before the arrest, according to OPD, after serving fifteen years for drug trafficking charges.

Verdict

Following testimony and presentation of evidence, jurors in the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office deliberated for only 10 minutes before handing a guilty verdict to 64-year-old Fraziars.

The judge sentenced Fraziars to 25 years in the Florida Department of Corrections, charged with Trafficking in Cocaine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

“Once again, we have successfully removed a major drug trafficker from our streets, a testament to the outstanding efforts of our law enforcement partners,” said Walter Forgie, Chief Assistant State Attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit. “A 15-year sentence last time for this defendant did little to deter him; hopefully this 25-year sentence provides him more time to reflect on his choices.”

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