A total of 15 suspects have been taken into custody throughout the metro Jackson area following a major drug bust in Florence last week.
In all, nine adults and six minors have been arrested after the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department received reports of an increase in overdoses over the last few months, leading law enforcement to begin investigating the sale of fentanyl in the area.
According to Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, several of the suspects were apprehended during the drug bust at a home on Carol Avenue on Thursday morning.
The adults arrested include:
- Pedro Antonio Martinez Garcia, 18, of Florence
- Jose Fernando Herrera Resendiz, 30, of Ridgeland
- Richard Bryant, 51, of Pelahatchie
- William Vinzant, 50, of Pelahatchie
- Vincent Edwards, Jr., 34, of Tougaloo
Garcia — who was out on bond for the sale of fentanyl and possession of methamphetamine while being in possession of a firearm — is currently facing one count of sale of fentanyl.
Resendiz, a registered sex offender, has been charged with one count of selling cocaine within 1,500 feet of a park and one count of conspiracy to sell cocaine near a park, while Bryant has been charged with three counts of selling meth and one count of conspiracy to sell meth.
Vinzant is expected to be sentenced for one count of selling meth and one count of conspiracy to sell meth, as well as possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and meth and the drug trafficking of ecstasy.
Edwards was arrested in Hinds County and charged with two counts of conspiracy to sell cocaine within 1,500 feet of a park after a search warrant found the felony amount of narcotics at his residence. Authorities also discovered a 12 gauge shotgun that was stolen during a Rankin County house burglary in September 2019.
Four additional suspects were arrested the following day after officers with the Richland Police Department received drugs that were expected to be given to another juvenile at a local school.
The most recent arrests include:
- Brooklyn Goss, 21
- Ayden Broome, 18
- Mollie McNally, 19
- Haley Dunlap, 19
All four individuals were charged with the sale of fentanyl, with Broome and McNally being accused of selling the drugs within 1,500 feet of a school, church, or park and conspiracy to sell or distribute. Goss, Broome, and McNally were also charged with possession with intent to distribute.
The identities of the six minors in custody have not been released at this time.
