Alphonda Baker, Sr., Lee County Drug Distribution, Florida 2020

Leader of Lee County Drug Ring Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison

Fort Myers, Florida – A notorious leader of a Lee County drug distribution ring has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute heroin and fentanyl and possessing multiple firearms as a convicted felon.

Forty-five-year-old Alphonda Baker, Sr., of Cape Coral, pleaded guilty to the charges on February 5, 2020. The sentencing comes after a lengthy investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Cape Coral Police Department.

According to court documents, Baker headed a drug organization that distributed significant amounts of heroin and fentanyl in Lee County, Florida. The investigation began in 2018, when law enforcement successfully purchased heroin laced with fentanyl from Tafawah Horrobin, a member of Baker’s organization, on multiple occasions.

Law enforcement learned that Horrobin resided in Cape Coral but frequently visited a house in Lehigh Acres, where associate Travis Lee Watkins lived. Investigators eventually determined that the Lehigh Acres residence was rented by Baker, the leader of the organization, to serve as a ‘safe house’ where large quantities of drugs intended for distribution could be stockpiled.

On August 16, 2018, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Cape Coral Police Department executed search warrants at Horrobin’s Cape Coral residence, the Lehigh Acres safe house, and Baker’s Cape Coral residence. Inside Horrobin’s residence, law enforcement seized various items used to facilitate the distribution of drugs, an illegally possessed firearm, and cash. Inside the Lehigh Acres safe house, law enforcement seized approximately one kilogram of a fentanyl/heroin mixture, approximately 400 grams of cocaine, smaller amounts of crack cocaine and methamphetamine, and four firearms. Eight firearms were seized from inside Baker’s Cape Coral residence.

Baker’s associates, including Tafawah Horrobin, Travis Lee Watkins, and Michael Horrobin, were previously sentenced to federal prison for their roles in the conspiracy. Tafawah Horrobin received a 10-year sentence, while Watkins received 13 years. Michael Horrobin received a 4-year, 9-month sentence.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Cape Coral Police Department, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael V. Leeman.

Baker, who was convicted of conspiring to distribute heroin and fentanyl and possessing multiple firearms as a convicted felon, will serve his 14-year sentence in federal prison. The crime took place in Lee County, Florida, in 2018. The sentencing occurred on February 5, 2020. No fine was imposed in this case.

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