Deputies with the Volusia Sheriff’s Office were responding to a complaint about drug sales in the area when they arrived at a home on Madison Avenue in Daytona Beach, Florida. They found what appeared to be a drug deal already in progress.
According to The Sun, dealer Bobby Johnson was struck by a flying bag of white powder after his customer, Charlie Damon, threw his purchase back at him just as deputies moved in. The incident took place on March 27, and arrests were reported on March 30.
The whole scene was captured on body camera footage, which the sheriff’s office later released. The footage shows deputies instructing the men to get on the ground, with both Johnson and Damon being placed in handcuffs.
The search turned up drugs, cash, stolen guns, and evidence of a large-scale operation
Deputies then opened the gate to the property, making their way past Johnson’s dogs.A third person, Amuri Kelson, tried to flee out the back of the house. Aerial footage clearly shows him running, but he was intercepted just a few houses away.
During the search of the scene, the house, and a storage unit, deputies recovered 831 grams of cocaine, $10,000 in cash, and marijuana. They also found multiple firearms, one of which was confirmed stolen, and another that had its serial number removed.
Drug operations of this scale are not always run by obvious suspects – in one striking case, an 80-year-old lottery winner used his $66 million jackpot to run a fake drug lab that made $400 million before he was caught.
According to WFLA, all three men (Bobby Johnson, Charlie Damon, and Amuri Kelson) were arrested and taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail. Johnson and Damon were both charged with trafficking in cocaine. Kelson faces a significantly longer list of charges, including trafficking in cocaine, trafficking in hydrocodone, and trafficking in heroin.
Authorities in Florida say aerial footage shows the moment a suspected drug dealer was hit by a flying bag of cocaine tossed by a would-be customer as deputies moved in to make an arrest. https://t.co/RMeZCBYDZO pic.twitter.com/Ng9r9stKZN
— ABC News (@ABC) March 31, 2026
Kelson also faces charges for possession of cannabis, obstructing an officer without violence, manufacturing of cocaine, possession of paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, and owning or renting a structure known for drug sales.
Drug-related accusations don’t always involve actual dealers – one pharmacist wrongly accused a patient of seeking drugs due to a medication mix-up that was not the patient’s fault. The entire operation began with a community complaint about drug sales on Madison Avenue, which ultimately led to the arrests of all three men.
With some of the strictest drug laws in the country, Florida treats cocaine trafficking as a major crime. Convicted individuals can face steep fines, lengthy prison sentences, and long-term impacts on their lives. Anyone charged with cocaine trafficking in Florida should know the legal framework, potential penalties, and available defenses.
Florida law (Section 893.135) defines cocaine trafficking as knowingly selling, buying, delivering, producing, or importing 28 grams or more of cocaine. Even having 28 grams or more in your possession, whether directly or indirectly, qualifies as trafficking. It’s classified as a first-degree felony with mandatory prison sentences.
The penalties for cocaine trafficking in Florida are determined by the amount of drugs involved, with harsher consequences for larger quantities. Possessing 28 to 199 grams leads to a minimum three-year prison term and a $50,000 fine, 200 to 399 grams carries seven years and a $100,000 fine.
400 grams to 149 kilograms results in 15 years and a $250,000 fine, and 150 kilograms or more can mean life in prison without parole. Because these sentences are often mandatory, anyone facing such charges should consult an experienced defense attorney. In most cases, however, the charges are not easily dismissed. A cocaine possession conviction in Florida also carries an automatic six-month suspension of the defendant’s license or driving rights.
