Bradenton Man Sentenced To More Than Seven Years For Drug And Gun Offenses

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington has sentenced Quleton Monix (36, Bradenton) to seven years and nine months in federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The court also ordered Monix to forfeit the firearm and ammunition.

Monix had pleaded guilty on October 24, 2019.

According to court documents, between August 20 and September 12, 2018, Monix sold crack cocaine to an undercover officer on five different occasions. On September 26, 2018, law enforcement officers arrested Monix on multiple warrants for the sale of narcotics. After his arrest, authorities searched Monix and his vehicle and recovered $1,917 from Monix’s pocket, $3,071 from his wallet, 3.9 grams of crack cocaine from the center console of the vehicle, and $18,020, wrapped in stacks of $1,000, from a bag underneath the passenger seat.

That same day, a search warrant was executed at Monix’s residence. Inside the home, law enforcement officers located, among other things, 38 grams of cocaine, a digital scale, a razor blade, two silver pots and a fork that contained cocaine residue, a loaded semi-automatic pistol, and a box of ammunition.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David C. Waterman.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.