A 22-year-old man was arrested in St. Cloud on Thursday by Florida Highway Patrol after the car he crashed while trying to run from FHP in was found to have 15,000 Fentanyl pills made to look like OxyContin inside.

On Thursday, while patroling in St. Cloud near Old Canoe Creek Road and Kissimmee Park Road, Troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Criminal Intervention Unit (CIU) witnessed a white Mercedes SUV illegally changing lanes while cutting off a marked FHP cruiser. The Mercedes appeared to have illegal tint with a license plate that did not return to any vehicle.

When troopers attempted to stop the vehicle, the car sped away reaching speeds of over 100 miles per hour, side-swiping another motorist, and driving the wrong way on a multiple roads while being followed by marked units. During the pursuit, the driver failed to negotiate a curve and crashed.

State Troopers apprehended the driver, a white male identified as 22-year-old Jonathan Nicola of Kissimmee, into custody for felony fleeing and eluding, among many other serious traffic related charges.

When troopers searched the vehicle to make sure there were no other individuals inside, a digital scale and numerous small baggies were observed within the driver’s door pocket. As an FHP Trooper and K-9 arrived walked around the vehicle, the K-9 positively alerted to the presence of narcotics. A search of the vehicle found a loaded 9mm handgun, drug paraphernalia, and a box containing a clear vacuum-sealed bag containing 15,000 Fentanyl pills made to look like OxyContin.

After verifying the vehicle information, it was confirmed to be a stolen vehicle out of Lee County, Florida, with a fake temporary tag and cloned VINs on both the door and the window. The suspect, Jonathan Nicola, a habitual traffic offender, was arrested and transported to the Orange County Jail without bond on the following charges:

  • Trafficking in Fentanyl 4 Grams or More-Felony
  • Synthetic Narcotic Manufacturing Schedule I or II-Felony
  • Possession of a Controlled Substance Without a Prescription-Felony
  • Possession of Drug Equipment/Paraphernalia used to Manufacture/Transport Drugs-Felony
  • Grand Theft of a Motor Vehicle-Felony
  • Possession of a Vehicle with Altered Numbers-Felony
  • Weapons Offense-Use/Display Firearm During Felony-Felony
  • Flee/Elude Police-Aggravated Fleeing with Injury or Damage-Felony
  • Moving Traffic Violation-Reckless Driving with Damage to Person/Property-Misdemeanor

“Despite the unabated flow of Fentanyl flowing into our nation through the open southern border, State Troopers wake up every day willingly putting themselves in high-risk situations like this, so that they can put evil people behind bars,” said Executive Director Dave Kerner. “Despite the advantages the drug cartels reap from the open border, the Florida Highway Patrol will never back down from the mission Governor DeSantis has assigned us; keep our communities safe and fight back against the cartel driven devastation.”

The investigation remains active and ongoing; additional information is not available at this time.