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$500K of drugs seized in Hillsborough County
United States Attorney Gregory Kehoe gives an update on a drug seizure that netted over 22 kilograms of various narcotics, including fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine, 14 handguns, several of which were stolen and one that had its serial number drilled off and over $500K in cash.
TAMPA, Fla. - A 34-year-old Riverview man faces up to life in federal prison after law enforcement officers seized more than 22 kilograms of drugs, 14 firearms and over $500K in cash during raids at two homes.
Federal drug investigation setup
What we know:
Federal agents and Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies began investigating Dominique Bowden in April. Investigators used physical surveillance, cameras and phone wiretaps to track daily drug sales.
Authorities said Bowden arranged transactions over the phone and met buyers at Tampa-area gas stations and a Publix parking lot in Bloomingdale. He also ran drug transactions out of rental cars and his mother's home, conducting up to 10 deals a day.
Search warrants executed
What we don't know:
Officials have not publicly disclosed the exact street address of either search target.
Law enforcement officers executed two search warrants on Sept. 23, raiding Bowden's home in Riverview and his mother's home in Tampa. During a previous traffic stop attempt, Bowden ran from deputies and hid a vehicle at his sister's house, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Seized drugs and weapons
By the numbers:
At Bowden's home, officers said they found 226 grams of fentanyl, 6.9 pounds of marijuana, 1.3 grams of cocaine, 4 grams of oxycodone and 11 handguns.
At his mother's house, agents said they seized 3 kilograms of fentanyl, 13 kilograms of methamphetamine, over 6.4 kilograms of cocaine, 5.4 grams of marijuana, oxycodone, hydrocodone and three handguns. Across both locations, officers said they recovered 14 handguns — several stolen and one with its serial number drilled off — and over $590,000 in cash.
High lethal dose risks
Big picture view:
Drug Enforcement Administration officials estimated the seized fentanyl contained 1.5 million potentially fatal doses. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe noted that just 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be deadly.
Nationwide, over 50,000 of the 80,000 overdose deaths in 2024 involved fentanyl. Kehoe added that Bowden's mother warned him to stop selling drugs, but he ignored her.
Dominique Bowden mugshot from a 2023 arrest. Courtesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Severe federal penalties
What's next:
A federal grand jury indicted Bowden on charges of conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine, possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Bowden has been ordered held in custody while awaiting trial and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison, with a maximum penalty of life. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik Daab as part of the Homeland Security Task Force Initiative.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe of the Middle District of Florida, statements from the Drug Enforcement Administration, court documents provided by federal prosecutors, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.