FORT PIERCE, Fla. —Treasure Coast sheriff’s officers found a lot of cash, a lot of illegal drugs, and a few guns, which led to the arrest of a man from Fort Pierce.
The man’s sister is defending him.
Conquistador Herbert Ray, 46, is now free on a $153,000 bond after being found guilty of a crime.
The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office says this arrest sends a message to other drug sellers that the sheriff’s office won’t stand for the sale and spread of these drugs in the community.
We asked Ray’s sister, Yolanda Robinson, who drove up in an SUV while we were at Ray’s house, “Are you surprised he’s been arrested for all these things?”
Robinson says she is shocked that her brother was arrested.
He is being charged with selling drugs, having drugs on his person, and having guns.
Sheriff’s detectives went to 310 North 24th Street in Fort Pierce on Friday with a search warrant and took $245,476 in cash, at least eight guns, including a couple of assault rifles, and a lot of drugs, including cocaine, ecstasy, fentanyl, molly, marijuana, a toolbox with gold and silver coins, and a 2020 Dodge Charger.
“He doesn’t know how the drugs got into his house. He doesn’t own the guns he has. They charged him with having guns because he had one. He has no guns. Robinson said, “He’s never had a gun, and he’s never owned a gun.”
She says that her brother won a lot of money at casinos in Fort Lauderdale and Tampa. She also says that he just won $100,000 on a scratch-off lottery ticket.
We asked Robinson, “So you’re saying your brother is totally innocent?”
“You’re innocent until proven guilty,” she told him.
“That’s hard to believe, given all the pictures they have of drugs, money, and guns,” we said.
“No, you’re innocent until proven guilty,” Robinson said.
Ray’s sister says that the sheriff’s office put the drugs in the house.
“There are no planes here. We have no boats. We don’t have what it takes to bring these kinds of drugs into our neighborhood, so they had to come from somewhere, right?” Robinson said.
In a Facebook post, St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara said that this was one of the biggest cases in the last ten years and that it was a big operation because they found a lot of drugs, guns, and cash.
This is what a friend said.
A friend who didn’t want to give her name said, “I thought what he was doing was wrong.”
We asked her, “Did you know there was a lot of drug use going on?”
“I’m not sure. People park their cars on that side of the road a lot. She said, “That’s all I can tell you.”
The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, the Port St. Lucie Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) all helped with the probe.
