A Fentanyl Incident In A Publix Parking Lot
By the time the federal government removed cannabis from the list of Schedule I controlled substances earlier this year, the writing had been on the wall for years. The state laws decriminalizing cannabis for medical use, and later for recreational use, were only echoing a widespread public sentiment. Lawmakers and journalists began to say what couch potato potheads had been saying for years, namely that cannabis was just another vice, no worse than alcohol or tobacco. Something had to replace cannabis as society’s bogeyman, a ubiquitous substance that allegedly brought out the worst in individuals and communities. To the surprise of the intoxicant-avoiding goody two shoes of a generation ago, carbs have taken on that role. Your parents would be angrier if they found you eating a Snickers bar in the backyard than if they found you smoking a joint in the backyard; some would even raise laments if they saw you eating a veggie burger. By this logic, it might seem like a toss up whether you would get in more trouble by confessing that the white powder in the bag in your pocket was an illegal drug, or whether it is sugar. If there is room for disagreement about whether the white powder that police found in your possession was a controlled substance, contact a Tampa drug crime lawyer.
Ocala Man Accused of Attempting to Expose Sheriff’s Deputy to Fentanyl
If you violate probation, police can seek an arrest warrant, and if the court grants it, they can arrest you wherever they find you. In May 2026, a Marion County Sheriff’s deputy saw a car in a Publix parking lot in Ocala with license plates that matched those of a probationer who had violated his probation. The deputy and several colleagues approached the car and ordered the man to get out. As he walked toward the deputy, the deputy suspected that the probationer had been injecting drugs, because syringes were visible in the car, and he had a tourniquet on his arm.
The deputies searched the vehicle and found a small zip top bag full of white powder. The probationer insisted that the powder was only sugar, as he opened the bag and blew some of the powder toward the deputy’s face. Fentanyl is so powerful that, if a tiny amount of it makes contact, it can cause symptoms of opioid overdose; this means that you can become seriously ill if you accidentally get fentanyl powder in your mouth, eyes, or nose. Police arrested the man for probation violations, drug possession, and assault of an officer, sent the powder to the crime lab, and called an ambulance to attend to the deputy. The powder turned out to be fentanyl, but the deputy was not injured.
Contact Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Bryant Scriven
A criminal defense lawyer can help you get justice if you are facing criminal charges for possession of drugs while you are on probation. Contact Scriven Law in Tampa, Florida to schedule a consultation.
Sources:
clickorlando.com/news/local/2026/05/13/its-sugar-florida-man-blows-fentanyl-in-deputys-face-outside-publix-video-shows/
