9 arrested, guns and drugs seized on Jacksonville’s Westside after citizen tip, sheriff says

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Warrants were served at two homes on Jacksonville’s Westside and nine people were arrested in a drug bust, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters announced Thursday.

It comes after a concerned citizen alerted police and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Sheriff’s Watch that they spotted drugs being sold out of two Westside homes, one on Firetower Road and one on Mauldin Lane.

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Action News Jax spoke to one neighbor on Thursday who didn’t want to be shown on-camera, but said this is just the latest criminal activity suspected at one of the homes involved.

“We’ve had this entire road completely shut down on several different occasions, just because of this home,” the anonymous neighbor said. “There’s drugs coming in and out of the house all hours of the night.”

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JSO’s April 19 investigation at the Firetower Road home uncovered 994 grams of methamphetamine, 164 grams of fentanyl, 49 grams of cocaine, and 287 grams of marijuana. Police also seized weapons linked to previous attempted murder scenes.

The following people were arrested on the following charges:

• Thomas Sawyer, 40: Armed traffic in amphetamine or methamphetamine, armed traffic in cocaine, armed: sell methamphetamine, resisting officer without violence
• Autym Speer, 29: Armed possession of fentanyl, three counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, armed possession of cocaine
• Carlos Garcia, 22: Trafficking in dangerous fentanyl, traffic in amphetamine or methamphetamine, traffic in hydrocodone, possession of cocaine with intent to sell, resisting an officer without violence
• Emily Kirksey, 22: Two counts of possession of a controlled substance, resisting an officer without violence
• Ryan Wortman, 37: Possession of a controlled substance, resisting an officer without violence
• Nino Jesus Perez, 41: Possession of a controlled substance, resisting an officer with violence
• Zion Wallace, 21: Possession of over 20 grams of marijuana
• Deontrae Dixon, 23: Two counts of resisting an officer without violence, possession of not more than 20 grams of marijuana
• Kelli Wilson, 47: Resisting an officer without violence

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“We do this not only to remove the poison that fuels addiction, but also to remove the accelerant which ignites gun violence in our community,” said Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters at the Thursday press conference.

Ultimately, JSO outlined Thursday how the massive bust serves as a reminder of the importance of everyday citizens and the sheriff’s watch program working in cooperation with law enforcement to make their communities a safer place.

Photos: Massive drug bust on Jacksonville’s Westside results from citizen tip

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Massive drug bust results from anonymous citizen tip in Jacksonville’s Westside JSO’s investigation at the Firetower Road home uncovered 994 grams of methamphetamine, 164 grams of fentanyl, 49 grams of cocaine, and 287 grams of marijuana. (Jacksonville Sheriff's Office)

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