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Gainesville man charged with cocaine trafficking and money laundering after being stopped for suspected involvement in shooting incident

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Dharmen K. Patel, 47, was arrested early this morning on multiple charges related to drug trafficking and firearm possession after a deputy detained him because of a report that he had fired a pistol at another vehicle in the 11700 block of SW 8th Avenue.

At about 1 a.m., an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy made contact with Patel in the 7500 block of W. Newberry Road because of a report that his vehicle had been involved in a shooting.

After Patel was detained, a search reportedly produced a baggie of ammunition in his pocket and about a gram of cocaine in another pocket.

The deputy reported that a pistol was in plain view on the center console of the vehicle; it was loaded and appeared to be missing rounds from the magazine. A search of the vehicle also reportedly produced 380 grams of cocaine, about $8,000 in cash next to the cocaine, and another small baggie of cocaine.

Post Miranda, Patel reportedly admitted that the pistol and cocaine were his.

Patel been charged with cocaine trafficking, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, maintaining a vehicle for the purpose of trafficking drugs, cocaine possession, and money laundering. Patel has one misdemeanor conviction for reckless driving. Judge Jonathan Ramsey set bail at $360,000.


Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

  • Dang dude. You should of kept working your ranks up at the Quicky Mart. You could of had your own store one day.

  • He facing 30 years. He’s going to rat out his supplier for a lesser sentence.

    • He will and then once he’s in jail he’ll find out what they do to snitches. I forsee a chiv in his future if he rats out his drug dealer.

      • They do nothing to snitches. Snitching is becoming more and more common now. Ive heard of people coming home from prison, having a coming home party after they snitched on multiple ppl. Crazy world we live in.

  • I guess he failed a Spelling Bee long time ago, slippery slope started 🫣

    • He did he need to be careful is his surrounding . There is people that u tell your business to then they either try to rob a person and set them up. But those panels are no one to set up are snitch on it’s a lot
      Of those pastels and they will find snitches and and people that’s tries to hurt them

  • Why did Patel rename his liquor store from “Dees Liquor” to “Dees Felonies”?….. Because he mixed too many shots with the yayo.

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