Florida police make meth, cocaine, fentanyl bust and arrest really slow runners | Law Enforcement Today

FORT WALTON BEACH, FL - Authorities have announced the arrest of two people following the seizure of over 129 grams of fentanyl found in a motel room. According to WKRG, officers with the Fort Walton Beach Police Department (FWBPD) received a tip from Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers, leading them to the Hole in the Wall Motel just before midnight on Thursday, February 13th.

Upon arriving on scene, officers said they found four people in the motel room who allowed the officers to come inside and look around. Once inside the room, officers said they saw drugs and "hypodermic needles," which were out in plain view. Officers contacted the Special Investigations Unit, which was able to obtain a search warrant for the room.

While waiting for the search warrant to arrive, two of the people inside the room allegedly tried to escape. One of them jumped off the second-story breezeway and the other ran from the room. Both, however, were apprehended almost immediately. One officer was minorly injured, but is expected to be OK.

After the search warrant arrived, officers reportedly found over 129 grams of fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and drug paraphernalia. According to NWFdailynews, police said the amount of fentanyl seized was enough for 6,000 fatal doses. Two of the four people inside the motel room were arrested. They have been identified as 29-year-old Naomi Elizabeth Cantrell and 32-year-old Azzie Wade McClendon. 

Both have been charged with providing a false name to law enforcement, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance, and trafficking fentanyl. In a press release, FWBPD wrote, "The Fort Walton Beach Police Department is fully committed to eradicating fentanyl from our streets through proactive enforcement efforts, partnerships with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, and continued collaboration with the community."

The release also said that the department focuses on intervention and recovery support through programs such as the Post Overdose Support Team, which assists individuals struggling with addiction. In the release, Police Chief Robert Bage said, "This case is a testament to the power of community partnerships. With the help of Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers and concerned citizens, we were able to remove a deadly amount of fentanyl from our streets. Every tip, every partnership, and every proactive effort brings us one step closer to ending the opioid epidemic."

In a separate incident, a Texas man and woman were arrested in a major fentanyl trafficking bust in South Florida. According to NBC Miami, 27-year-old Jose Luis Martinez and 26-year-old Valeria Nohemi Villicana were arrested after authorities received a tip that they were transporting 30,000 fentanyl pills to Miami.

Martinez and Villicana have both been charged with fentanyl trafficking and possession of a controlled substance. The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office and the FBI began an investigation after they received a tip from a confidential informant in April 2024 that a man and a woman were transporting fentanyl pills from Texas to Miami.

Investigators were able to identify the suspects as Martinez and Villicana, who are both from Houston, and learned that they had arrived in Fort Lauderdale and staying at a hotel near the airport. An undercover detective arranged a sale with Villicana and when she and Martinez arrived with the fentanyl pills, they were taken into custody.

Inside their backpack were five bags containing 3,420 grams of blue fentanyl pills. In a statement, the sheriff's office said, "After several months of hard work and dedication put forth by our detectives and federal partners, the case is now closed and both subjects have been charged accordingly."