Fast food manager accused of selling marijuana
The manager of a Cape Coral fast food restaurant has been arrested after selling marijuana to undercover deputies on four separate occasions, three in the parking lot of the restaurant he managed, officials said Wednesday.
Paul Price, 27, of 812 S.W. 6th Avenue, Cape Coral, is charged with four counts of selling marijuana, four counts of possession of marijuana over 20 grams, three of using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony, one count of possession with the intent to sell or deliver and eight counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Members of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Vice, Intelligence and Narcotics Division initiated their undercover operation on March 13. The focus was to have an undercover detective go to the Taco Bell at the intersection of Santa Barbara Boulevard and Pine Island Road in Cape Coral and to attempt to purchase one ounce of marijuana from a previously identified male known only as Paul (later identified as Paul Price). The undercover detective parked his vehicle next to Price and approached the passenger side of Price’s vehicle. Price handed the undercover detective a Christmas bag and stated “it’s inside the bag,” officials said in a prepared statement released today. The undercover detective gave Price $350 of pre-recorded funds in exchange for the marijuana. Price then exited his vehicle and walked inside the Taco Bell to begin his shift at work. Over the next month, the undercover detective met with Price three more times, each time paying him $350 in exchange for marijuana, officials said.
Members of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Unit then executed a search warrant on 812 S.W. 6th Avenue in Cape Coral on April 22, at approximately 8 a.m. Price was in the living room laying on the floor, officials said.
Officials say while searching the home, deputies found 134 grams of marijuana and separate pre-packaged baggies of marijuana in a closet. In Price’s bathroom, approximately 15.4 grams of loose marijuana was located, along with eight items of paraphernalia with marijuana residue.
Two others inside the residence, Kevin Golding, 19, and Christine Murphy, 48, were also arrested for drug possession.
Paul Price was managing the same Taco Bell on Feb. 26, 2008, when he was shot during an attempted robbery, officials said. Price was shot by a Cape Coral police officer after a robber made his way through the back door on Price’s shift. Cape police, who had received a tip of the pending robbery, were staked out in the restaurant.
Source: Lee County Sheriff’s Office