Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) announced Monday three individuals have been arrested in Gadsden County for the possession of drugs and illegal guns.
According to FDLE, 45-year-old Trenika Lashawn Ward, 27-year-old Jeremy Jerod Byrd and 19-year-old Marcus Coster Jr., all of Quincy, were arrested.
Ward is charged with one count of felon in possession of a firearm, and Byrd is charged with one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and one count of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Coster has been charged with one count of violation of pretrial release conditions, one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony from an arrest earlier this month, according to FDLE.
Coster was arrested during a traffic stop, which resulted in the seizing of two firearms and a pound of marijuana, FDLE reports.
A search warrant on a residence in Quincy was served March 31, where six more firearms were located, including two AR-15 semi-automatic pistols in addition to four ounces of marijuana and several grams of suspected heroin. FDLE agents, alongside QPD officers, FHP troopers and investigators with Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution served the warrant.
FDLE says the case began back in February due to FDLE, Quincy Police Department (QPD), Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) launching a joint investigation into a group of individuals involved in illegal narcotics and firearms violations.
Coster, Byrd and Ward were booked into the Gadsden County Jail.
FDLE says the investigation is ongoing and additional charges are possible.
