Sarasota Man Edrick McCary Gets 6 Years for Gun Crime

Edrick McCary, a 25-year-old from Sarasota, is headed to federal prison for six years after being caught armed and ready during a botched drug ripoff plot. U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew handed down the sentence in Tampa, slamming McCary for violating federal law as a convicted felon caught with multiple weapons.

McCary pleaded guilty on October 31, 2017, to possessing a firearm as a prohibited person. The arrest came after law enforcement, acting on a tip, intercepted McCary and two associates in the parking lot of a Walmart in Manatee County. They weren’t shopping. They were waiting—guns loaded—for someone arriving with drugs they’d already paid for, planning to take the stash and run.

Inside the car, police found three firearms, including a Glock 9mm handgun and a Ruger 9mm handgun equipped with a high-capacity magazine. No shots were fired, but the potential for violence was undeniable. The weapons were within reach, primed for a criminal ambush that never materialized—thanks to timely police intervention.

McCary’s criminal history sealed his fate. He’d been convicted twice in Florida for possession of cocaine—striking him from the ranks of legal gun ownership. Federal law bars anyone with such convictions from possessing firearms or ammunition, and McCary’s return to armed crime triggered a stiff federal response.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Frank Murray prosecuted, pushing for accountability under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Justice Department’s crackdown on violent offenders.

Launched under U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez in the Middle District of Florida, PSN targets repeat offenders and gun crimes through coordinated federal, state, and local enforcement. As Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated the program in 2017, cases like McCary’s became prime examples of the initiative’s mission: locking up dangerous felons before they ignite bloodshed on our streets.