Staff Report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a recent operation, law enforcement officials apprehended Damien Charles Curtis, 46, and Cleveland Tyrone Ferguson II, 54, after Curtis was allegedly observed handing Ferguson a package. Subsequent investigation led to the discovery of two kilograms of cocaine in Ferguson’s car.

Since 2025, the Gainesville-Alachua County Drug Task Force had been scrutinizing a network of individuals, including Curtis and Ferguson, suspected of distributing substantial quantities of cocaine within the area.

On March 3, at approximately 5:20 p.m., Task Force members were monitoring activity near 84 Lumber, located at 5083 NW 13th Street, where Curtis was employed. They observed a white Dodge Charger pull up next to Curtis’s vehicle. Curtis reportedly entered his car, retrieved a sizable brown package, and handed it to the Charger’s driver, later identified as Ferguson.

The officers then trailed the Charger, initiating a traffic stop around 5:32 p.m. in the 5300 block of NE 15th Street, citing reasons such as speeding, a potential window tint violation, and excessively tinted rear lights. An Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy reportedly informed Ferguson of a forthcoming warning. During this process, the officer inquired if there were any illegal substances in the vehicle. Ferguson, on federal probation for drug-related charges, asserted there were none and refused permission for a vehicle search.

Subsequently, the deputy deployed his K-9 partner, who signaled the presence of illegal drugs in the Charger, thus providing probable cause to conduct a search.

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.