A federal jury recently convicted 45-year-old Sanford man, Terrence Denard Perkins, of serious drug and firearms offenses, setting him up for a potential life sentence behind bars. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida, Perkins was found guilty of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, carrying firearms during drug trafficking, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Perkins, already bearing the weight of seven prior felonies, faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years and could receive a life sentence, with his sentencing scheduled for February 4, 2026.
The conviction stems from a January 9, 2024, raid on a Sanford house inhabited by Perkins' elderly stepfather. The agents discovered more than drugs and money; they uncovered a veritable arsenal. An electronic money counter, multiple revolvers, and a loaded AR-15 semiautomatic rifle tucked behind a sofa cushion adorned the interior. In the carport awaited bags of cocaine, and detailed paraphernalia for cutting, packaging, and distributing cocaine. Side-by-side with this illicit assembly line sat yet another loaded AR-15, and a MAC-10 handgun casually wrapped in a t-shirt on the hood of Perkins' Corvette.
Digging deeper into Perkins' yard yielded an even graver discovery. Hidden within the shells of broken-down cars, law enforcement found 18 vacuum-sealed kilogram bricks of cocaine. Among these reserves lay more AR-15s, handguns, an AK-47 rifle, a machinegun, and a plethora of ammunition. The gravity of Perkins’ ill means constructed a damning narrative when paired with financial records, DNA results, and video footage from his stash house's surveillance system, all brought to light during the trial.
The case against Perkins, handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Richard Varadan and Michael P. Felicetta, draws on the collective efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office’s City County Investigative Bureau, with the Drug Enforcement Administration also lending a hand. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer M. Harrington is managing the forfeiture of the firearms and ammunition involved in Perkins' criminal enterprise.
This takedown is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aiming to curb violent crime and gun violence, and ultimately foster safer communities.
