Search leads to discovery of drugs, arrests of 2 in Port Charlotte

Writer: Melissa Montoya
Published: Updated:
Jonathan King, 35, and Mariah Merchant, 29. (CREDIT: Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office)

Two people were arrested in Port Charlotte after deputies searched a home and found drugs, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said.

Jonathan King, 35, faces charges of trafficking in fentanyl, possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), possession of a controlled substance (methadone), possession of a controlled substance (buprenorphine hydrochloride) and possession of drug paraphernalia.

King was denied bond.

Mariah Merchant, 29, faces a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. Bond was set at $2,500.

The home searched was located in the 3100 block of Brooklyn Avenue.

Deputies found $3,800 in cash on King and a baggie containing 7.8 grams of methamphetamine. Deputies also found trace amounts of fentanyl in his hands, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies discovered a safe in the master bedroom that contained 56 various pills and a digital scale. The pills were identified as Buprenorphine Hydrochloride (x13), Methadone Hydrochloride (x25), and Naproxen (x18 – not a controlled substance).

Inside other bedrooms, deputies found 24.6 grams of fentanyl, 7.5 grams of methamphetamine, 3 Pyrex smoking pipes, a bottle of methadone and three unidentified pills.

 

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.