(TALLAHASSEE, FL.) - The Tallahassee Police Department recently arrested Chandale Mills, who was found with $1.8 million in narcotics.
The 42-year-old also had $30,000 cash on hand during his arrest.
After arresting Chandale Mills, the police simultaneously raided two locations used for drug smuggling, on Folsom Road and Cassat Drive.
Photo Credit: talgov.com
The recent drug bust is the largest drug bust since 2021, where ‘Operation No Warning’ resulted in 27 arrests and $330,000 cash, as well as 30 pounds of cocaine.
The police had recovered stolen luxury vehicles and enough fentanyl to kill 28,000 people. In contrast to Operation No Warning, Chandale Mills was arrested after a two-month investigation.
In addition to TPD, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Justice were involved. The Capital Region Real-Time Crime Center(CRR-TCC) was noted as an important contributor to Mills’ arrest.
The Crime Center’s pattern and license plate recognition helped Tallahassee collaborate with federal law enforcement, allowing for a strategically-timed arrest.
Photo Credit: Chief Lawrence Revell flsheriffs.org
"This is not about surveillance, it's about collaboration. By leveraging technology and strengthening our partnerships, we are enhancing our ability to respond quickly, solve crimes more efficiently, and ultimately keep our community safer."
TPD reported an incident-free arrest and arrested him after returning from an out-of-state trip, likely to purchase the drugs. The police have also recovered drug packaging material from Mills.
Last year, Tyquan Watson and Cleveland Blackshear were arrested in Tallahassee for buying over 3,000 pounds of marijuana and made millions in profit. After a federal investigation, both Watson and Blackshear were sentenced to ten years in prison.
In total, four arrests were made as part of the drug bust.
Although Mills is not the only distributor found in Tallahassee, the $1.8 million in drug street value for a single arrest is unprecedented. Mills received eight felony charges and is considered a wholesale distributor, working on a much larger scale than regular cases.
As Chandale Mills awaits a bond hearing in a Leon County jail, he is in a precarious position. Due to traveling out of state to receive drugs, Mills may be deemed a travel risk and denied bond. In a standard drug case, bond would likely be set above $250,000. Due to the unusually large amount of narcotics recovered bond could be set at a million dollars.
A similar case in Naples had two defendants have their bond set at $500,000 each.
The largest obstacle to Mills' bond may be the Nebbia hold, which would almost certainly accompany any bond offer. A Nebbia hold is used to ensure a defendant legally obtained their bond money and is not benefiting from illegal sales. The Nebbia hold will require pay stubs and bank records to be presented to the court before paying a bondsman.
Another obstacle will be an armed trafficking charge he may receive as the police recovered weapons. If he is charged with armed trafficking, Florida will file for Mills to remain detained. Due to the interstate nature of his crimes, the case may become a federal case.
As for sentencing, Mills faces several mandatory minimums, which may result in decades in custody.
The 66 grams of fentanyl carry a minimum sentence of 25 years in prison alone.
If you have any questions or concerns, please comment and email me at jason.f@lead4earth.org.
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