LAKELAND, Fla. – A Lakeland man is headed to federal prison for nearly two decades after what started as an arrest turned into a significant drug bust. Wesley Anderson, 46, was sentenced to 18 years behind bars by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Mizelle for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
The sentence follows a guilty plea Anderson entered last summer on August 20, 2025.
The case began to unfold on January 4, 2024. According to court records, Lakeland Police Officers found Anderson outside a hotel in Lakeland and arrested him on a warrant that had nothing to do with this current drug case.
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After he was taken into custody, the hotel manager asked the officers to help clear out Anderson’s room.
When police entered the room, they walked into an active scene.
They found a customer waiting inside who admitted they were just waiting for Anderson to return so they could buy narcotics. A closer search of the room revealed a backpack holding more than 1,300 grams of methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced the final sentencing. The investigation was handled jointly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lakeland Police Department, with Assistant United States Attorney Michael R. Kenneth prosecuting the case.
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