Flagler County deputies seize drugs, cash in 2 days of patrols

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staley is commending his deputies for getting dangerous drugs off the streets.

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FCSO deputies made two major drug busts in two days through “proactive patrols” in high- crime areas.

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On Friday, Flagler County Problem Area Crime Enforcement (PACE) units were patrolling the area of Kingswood Drive and old Kings Road in Palm Coast when they came into contact with two men sitting in a suspicious-looking vehicle in a Circle-K parking lot.

Both the driver, identified as 29-year-old Van Allen Jr., and his passenger, 33-year-old Simmie Perry Jr., initially denied having any drugs or weapons in the car.

However, a probable cause search of the vehicle yielded a semi-automatic pistol and a slew of illegal drugs including meth, cocaine, and enough fentanyl to kill thousands of people, Sheriff Staly said.

Allen was charged with trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamines, and cocaine as well as possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia. He’s being held in the Flagler County Jail on a total of $230,500 bond.

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Deputies say Simmie Perry had an active warrant for failure to pay child support and was arrested. He was later additionally charged with a probation violation and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He’s being held on no bond.

Two days earlier, one of the same deputies was patrolling on foot near Palm Coast Linear Park when he again saw a parked vehicle that appeared to be suspicious in nature.

Deputies noticed the smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle and again performed a probable cause search which yielded several different types of illegal drugs and a large amount of cash.

The driver, identified as 21-year-old Tristan Carl, faces charges of possession of cannabinoids with intent to sell, manufacturing or distributing within 100 feet of a park, possession of LSD, and possession of drugs without a prescription.

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He was booked into the Flagler County jail and has since been released on bond.

“Two more poison peddlers and a deadbeat dad have been taken off the streets thanks to the hard work of our FCSO team,” Sheriff Staly said in a statement. “This is exactly why I encourage our deputies to be proactive. There is no telling how many lives they saved or overdoses they prevented by getting this poison off our streets.”

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