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By Staff
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Two men, Damien Charles Curtis, 46, and Cleveland Tyrone Ferguson II, 54, were taken into custody last night after authorities allegedly witnessed Curtis handing Ferguson a bag that was later found to contain two kilograms of cocaine in Ferguson’s car.
Since 2025, the Gainesville-Alachua County Drug Task Force has been investigating a network of individuals, including Curtis and Ferguson, suspected of distributing significant quantities of cocaine within the local area.
On the evening of March 3, at approximately 5:20 p.m., Task Force members were conducting surveillance near 84 Lumber located at 5083 NW 13th Street, where Curtis is employed. They observed a white Dodge Charger pull up beside Curtis’s vehicle. Curtis was seen exiting his vehicle with a large brown package, which he then handed to the driver of the Charger, identified as Ferguson.
The officers trailed the Charger and pulled it over at around 5:32 p.m. on the 5300 block of NE 15th Street, citing speeding and violations related to window tint and taillights. During the stop, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy informed Ferguson that a warning would be issued. While preparing the warning, the deputy inquired if there were any illegal drugs in the vehicle. Ferguson, who mentioned he was on federal probation for drug-related offenses, denied having any illegal substances and refused to consent to a search of the car.
The deputy retrieved his K-9 partner, and the K-9 alerted to illegal narcotics in the Charger, establishing probable cause to search the vehicle.
The search reportedly produced a brown plastic shopping bag that contained a cloth “Louis Vuitton” bag containing two separate kilos of cocaine, wrapped in duct tape. One package reportedly weighed 1,088 grams, and the other weighed 1,097 grams; the substances in both packages tested positive for cocaine.
Any amount over 28 grams of cocaine is considered to be a trafficking offense.
A Gainesville Police Department officer reported that the “Louis Vuitton” bag looked “very similar if not identical” to the bag that Curtis gave Ferguson in the parking lot.
Post Miranda, Curtis reportedly said that he met with an acquaintance at 84 Lumber and gave him money; he denied any involvement with illegal narcotics.
Curtis has been charged with trafficking in cocaine. He has 16 felony convictions (two violent) and 24 misdemeanor convictions (three violent), and he has served two state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2016. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $100,000.
Ferguson has been charged with trafficking in cocaine. His full criminal history is currently unavailable, but his first local arrest was in 1988, and he is on federal probation after serving a 20-year federal sentence for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine. Judge Rawls set bail at $200,000.
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.