FLORIDA – A Florida man who reportedly led officers on a high-speed chase has been sentenced after pleading guilty to firearm and drug crimes.
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Raequin Smith, 27, of Tampa, has been sentenced to six years and three months in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
Smith pleaded guilty on December 1, 2022.
According to court documents, on April 5, 2022, Smith was stopped by law enforcement for driving at a high rate of speed. When asked to exit the vehicle, Smith reportedly fled in the vehicle.
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Police helicopters were dispatched, and they reportedly located Smith driving at a high rate of speed and disregarding traffic signals through busy roadways in Tampa. Officers said they used spike strips to disable Smith’s vehicle, but Smith fled on foot, allegedly discarding a bookbag in a driveway as he ran.
Officers pursued Smith until he was apprehended. They retrieved the bookbag, which reportedly contained a firearm, ammunition, cocaine, marijuana, two digital scales, and multiple empty baggies.
This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department and the Strategic Pattern Armed Robbery Technical Apprehension (SPARTA) unit of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Maria Guzman prosecuted it.
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