Dunnellon man arrested and $597,470 in drugs seized

Marion County, Florida - Edward Jermaine Duncan, 21, of Dunnellon, Florida, was booked into the Marion County Jail in Ocala, Florida on June 10, as the result of an investigation into drugs being distributed to Citrus and Marions counties in Florida. He was charged with trafficking in 4 or more grams of fentanyl ($500,000 bond), trafficking cocaine in the amount of 28 grams or more, but less than 150 kilograms ($300,000 bond), trafficking in 14 grams or more of amphetamine or methamphetamine ($300,000 bond), possession of marijuana with intent to sell, manufacture or deliver ($5,000 bond), and possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted Florida felon ($10,000 bond).

In early May of 2021, detectives with the Citrus County Sheriff's Office Tactical Impact Unit (CCSO TIU) developed credible information that a large and steady supply of drugs - fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine - was coming into Citrus County by a suspect from the Marion County area of Dunnellon, Florida.

Strong partnerships have been developed between the Citrus County Sheriff's Office, under the supervision of Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast, with neighboring agencies, such as the Marion County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team (UDEST) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Tampa District Office, which allowed the CCSO TIU members to investigate this case across county lines.

For over a month, detectives and agents worked to identify the suspect, gather all necessary information and develop leads and sources to further their case. They learned that the suspect was Edward Jermaine Duncan, a two time convicted felon and registered sex offender. According to Sgt. Lee Carey, Lieutenant of Special Operations for the CCSO, Duncan was selling quarter to half pound quantities of hard narcotics, almost daily, to lower level dealers in Citrus County, and also dealing immense quantities of fentanyl, which along with heroin, is responsible for most of the overdose deaths that are occurring in Citrus and Marion counties.

This case culminated on June 10 with the arrest of Edward Duncan, when a federal search warrant was executed at his home, located at 5820 SW 206th Avenue in Dunnellon (Marion County), Florida. Duncan was taken into custody, and his home was searched. In addition to drugs, numerous items of drug manufacturing equipment were located, which included scales, bags, blenders, hot plates, utensils and hydraulic presses, along with two firearms, one of which was reported stolen in Alachua County, and $112,170 in U. S. currency that was hidden in the air ducts of his home.

The combined street value of the narcotics seized is over $597,470. The following narcotics were found; includes the amount of the drug, the number of doses and the street prices of the drugs:
•2.8 grams of fentanyl (12,700 doses), at $20 per dose (one-tenth of a gram), for a total of $254,000.
•4.1 pounds of cocaine (1,859 grams), at $60 per gram, for a total of $111,540.
•2.2 pounds of crack cocaine (997 grams), at $60 per gram, for a total of $59,820.
•4 pounds of methamphetamine (2,177 grams), at $60 per gram, for a total of $130,620.
•6.1 pounds of cannabis, also called marijuana (2,766 grams), at $15 per gram, for a total of $41,490.

The press release stated that the drug seizure and arrest will have a significant impact in reducing the flow of drugs within Citrus and Marion Counties.

A video can be viewed on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVdEpiKlRho.