A Port Charlotte man was arrested Friday afternoon after deputies say he ran a stop sign while driving with a suspended license and carrying a trafficking amount of suspected fentanyl.
According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, 32-year-old Zachary Laflair was arrested after a deputy saw a black BMW fail to obey a stop sign at the intersection of Delake Avenue and Yorkshire Street just north of Port Charlotte. The deputy pulled over the vehicle. The driver, Laflair, could not produce a driver’s license, saying he did not have it on him.
The deputy was familiar with Laflair and knew that his license was suspended, at which time he told Laflair he would be placed under arrest for knowingly driving with a suspended license.
As the deputy searched Laflair’s person, he found a baggie in his front pocket that contained 14.2 g of a white, powdery substance that tested positive for both cocaine and fentanyl. The total weight was more than three times the amount to constitute a fentanyl trafficking charge. As the search continued, the deputy found a brown satchel on the front passenger seat, which contained a large amount of currency and a small amount (5.3g) of marijuana. The majority of the money appeared to be bundled in $1,000 increments exceeding $15,000.
Laflair was transported to the Charlotte County Jail and is being held on a $525,000 bond. He faces charges of trafficking fentanyl, possession of cocaine, manufacture/delivery of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana less than 20g, and knowingly driving with a suspended license.
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