Jeremy D. Priest, 51, was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in state prison for trafficking fentanyl and cocaine, with lifetime probation added to his term. Circuit Judge Kathryn Speicher handed down the sentence after a Brevard County jury convicted Priest in February 2026 of distributing dangerous drugs from his Merritt Island mobile home. Priest, a six-time felony offender, had already served 1,341 days in jail while awaiting trial.
The case stemmed from a January 2021 raid by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team on Priest’s home at 1234 St. Charles Avenue, just south of Kennedy Space Center. Deputies found 523 grams of fentanyl, 45.6 grams of cocaine, $11,182 in cash, and a loaded Glock 9mm handgun hidden in multiple rooms during the search. Assistant State Attorneys Rebecca Price and Bernadette Serafinowicz presented the evidence during the trial, arguing Priest should be sentenced as a Habitual Felony Offender under Florida law.
Price said the jury’s conviction allowed authorities to remove Priest and his drugs from the community. “We’re keeping people safer by taking this dangerous individual off the streets,” she said in a statement after the sentencing. The prosecution emphasized the scale of the operation, noting the large quantities of fentanyl—enough to potentially harm hundreds of people—found in Priest’s possession.
Priest’s attorney did not immediately comment on the sentence. The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said the raid was part of a broader investigation into drug distribution networks in the area. The case highlights ongoing efforts by local law enforcement to combat opioid trafficking, which has spiked in Brevard County in recent years.