A federal jury has convicted a Sanford man who turned his elderly stepfather’s property into a fortified drug compound, concluding a case that uncovered a massive stockpile of military-grade weapons and narcotics hidden inside broken-down vehicles.
United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced the guilty verdict for 45-year-old Terrence Denard Perkins, who now faces a minimum of 20 years in federal prison.
The conviction stems from a raid executed on January 9, 2024, by the ATF and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. When agents entered the home, they found a loaded AR-15 rifle tucked behind a sofa cushion and revolvers in the bedrooms.
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However, the scale of the operation became clear once investigators moved to the backyard.
According to court testimony, agents discovered a fully operational cocaine cutting and packaging station in the carport. Resting on the hood of Perkins’ Corvette, right next to the drug station, was another loaded AR-15 and a MAC-10 handgun wrapped in a t-shirt.
Investigators then searched two derelict cars sitting on the lawn, which were being used as storage lockers for the inventory. Inside the vehicles, agents pulled out 18 vacuum-sealed kilogram bricks of cocaine, along with an AK-47, additional AR-15s, a machine gun, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Prosecutors secured the conviction by presenting financial records, DNA evidence, and footage from Perkins’ own surveillance system. Social media posts were also used to link Perkins to the tools of what authorities called a “prolific drug trade.”
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Perkins is a seven-time convicted felon with a history including conspiracy to traffic cocaine and aggravated fleeing and eluding. Under federal law, he is permanently prohibited from possessing firearms.
Perkins was found guilty of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 4, 2026.
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