Drug dealer arrested by investigation with camera mounted on light pole and must serve 21 years

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The man the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said was one of the city’s biggest drug dealers will serve more than 21 years in prison.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations and JSO launched a months-long investigation into 32-year-old Paul Anderson in 2023.

An FBI agent used a livestream camera mounted on a light pole to watch Anderson as he returned to a Westside apartment that investigators believed was being used to stash drugs.

For months, FBI agents and members of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office gang units kept tabs on Anderson, either by camping in a car outside the apartment or on pole camera. They also tracked his phone.

From September to October 2023, investigators believed they saw Anderson and other drug traffickers bringing large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl and meth into the city.

Federal agents used the video surveillance and evidence to obtain a search warrant in October 2023 and eventually moved in and arrested Anderson and others.

According to the Department of Justice, more than 40 pounds of marijuana, more than 7 pounds of crystal meth, 140 grams of fentanyl, 63 grams of powder cocaine, multiple loaded firearms, a ballistic vest, cash and drug paraphernalia were seized during the investigation. .

Anderson was sentenced to 21 years and 10 months for drug possession.