Deputies say a Spring Hill man tried to flush his drug stash down the toilet the moment he heard detectives pounding on his front door last Friday — but it wasn't enough to save him from facing a long list of trafficking charges. Nehemiah Mason, 36, and Brenda Rogero Diaz, 32, were both arrested after Hernando County investigators searched their home on Gloria Avenue and walked away with nearly 4.4 pounds combined of methamphetamine and cocaine, along with codeine syrup and more than $46,000 in cash.
The search unfolded on the morning of Oct. 30, when detectives with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office Vice and Narcotics and Special Intelligence units arrived at 3071 Gloria Ave. with a warrant tied to a narcotics investigation, according to Hernando Sun. Detectives announced their presence at the door and, after getting no response, forced their way inside. Mason was taken into custody without incident, as was Diaz, both of whom lived together at the address.
Once inside, detectives reported finding a large quantity of a crystal-like substance later identified as methamphetamine sitting on a bathroom counter connected to the guest bedroom, along with several empty plastic baggies scattered around the toilet. TampaFP reports that Mason panicked and tried to flush the meth the instant he heard law enforcement pounding on the front door. Additional baggies of white powder and rock-like substances were found and later identified as cocaine and crack cocaine, along with two prescription-style bottles of purple liquid identified as promethazine with codeine.
Cash Bundles and a Confession
Detectives also recovered two bundles of U.S. currency containing roughly $20,000 each; the total cash seizure was $46,327. After being advised of his Miranda rights, Mason agreed to speak with detectives and admitted the methamphetamine, cocaine, and promethazine with codeine all belonged to him, according to the sheriff's office. The station's report adds that he said the cash represented proceeds from previous narcotics sales he had been saving, and that he'd been keeping the methamphetamine and cocaine for the purpose of selling them, while claiming the codeine was for personal use.
Mason also admitted to trying to destroy the methamphetamine by flushing it down the toilet once he heard detectives announce themselves, per the same account. He told investigators that Diaz was aware of his narcotics trafficking activities but said he didn't believe she was directly involved beyond knowing about it. Diaz, for her part, admitted she had long known Mason was storing and selling drugs straight out of their shared residence, confirming to detectives that the activity had gone on for an extended period.
Months of Undercover Buys Led to the Raid
The arrests weren't the result of a single tip. Detectives say they conducted multiple undercover narcotics purchases from Mason over several months, with the transactions escalating to trafficking quantities of methamphetamine — the same pattern the station's report describes as officers steadily buying larger amounts to build their case. During at least one of those undercover transactions, detectives observed that Diaz transported Mason to a predetermined location and remained present while he delivered a trafficking quantity of methamphetamine, according to the sheriff's office.
That pattern of evidence led investigators to identify Mason as a significant methamphetamine supplier throughout Hernando County, and the sheriff's office said the investigation disrupted a substantial source of illegal narcotics moving through the area. The dossier's reporting on the charges themselves diverges by outlet: TampaFP lists three counts of methamphetamine trafficking along with trafficking in cocaine, trafficking in codeine, and two counts of possession with intent to sell, while Hernando Sun reports that Mason was being charged, prior to the search warrant, with two counts each of sale of methamphetamine, trafficking methamphetamine, and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. TampaFP also lists three counts of methamphetamine trafficking, trafficking in cocaine and codeine, and two counts of possession with intent to sell.
Diaz Faces Her Own Set of Charges
Diaz's charges are similarly described differently across accounts. TampaFP reports she was booked on principal to trafficking in methamphetamine and maintaining a structure for drug trafficking, while Hernando Sun reports she was charged with multiple drug charges including keeping a structure for the sale of narcotics, attributing that account to Sheriff Al Nienhuis. Both Mason and Diaz were transported to the Hernando County Detention Center following their arrests.
Florida law treats large-scale drug trafficking seriously. Under Florida Statute 893.135, someone found with 200 grams or more but less than 400 grams of cocaine is subject to sentencing under state guidelines along with a $100,000 fine — a threshold the seized cocaine and crack cocaine in this case reportedly exceeded, based on the 386.3-gram figure cited by TampaFP.
Not an Isolated Case in Hernando County
This wasn't the only residential drug raid in the area this year. Back in March, detectives with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office Vice and Narcotics Unit executed a search warrant at a Giovanni Avenue address in Spring Hill, arresting Nelson Saldana and seizing roughly 70.1 grams of cocaine, 250.3 grams of marijuana, 6.3 grams of oxycodone pills, and 2.1 grams of alprazolam pills, according to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office. A separate Spring Hill case reported by FOX 13 Tampa Bay involved roughly 96.6 grams of methamphetamine, 1.2 grams of fentanyl, and 143.7 grams of promethazine hydrochloride. Those cases do not establish a countywide pattern on their own, but they show similar search-warrant operations have played out elsewhere in the area this year.
Hernando County Crime Stoppers is asking anyone with information related to narcotics activity to come forward. Tips can be submitted anonymously by phone at 1-866-990-TIPS (8477) or by text using *TIPS from a cell phone, with eligible tipsters qualifying for a cash reward of up to $5,000.
