A suspect has been charged with selling fentanyl out of his car at a shopping plaza in The Villages.
Michael Ryan Mason, 25, of Leesburg, was held without bond at the Sumter County Detention Center this week on various drug allegations.
The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Squad targeted him in an undercover operation in November 2023. When Mason and a confidential informant met in the parking area of Lake Deaton Plaza on State Road 44, he sold him fentanyl twice.
The confidential informant informed investigators that Mason was a drug dealer.
After purchasing the drugs from Mason, the informant had them tested at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s laboratory. Testing confirmed that the drug was fentanyl. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Mason was accused in 2022 of filing a fake insurance claim.