Photo for Headline Surfer® / Alex Strembel, 24, was charged in connection with a huge shipment of marijuana.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
ORMOND BEACH, Fla. -- Undercover narcotics agents arrested a 24-year-old man at a home near Ormond Beach after a search warrant revealed four pounds of marijuana in the kitchen, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said, adding the drugs had been delivered by an unknown person earlier that day.
Agents with the Volusia Bureau of Investigations and the Sheriff's SWAT team entered 7 Charleston Square at about 2 p.m. That's were the marijuana was discovered and seized, leading first to the arrest of Alex Strembel, 24, whom agents described in their report as the person who accepted the marijuana delivery and discussed with the unknown man the pricing and quality of the narcotics, Sheriff's spokesman Brandon Haught confirmed. Two others with Strembel were arrested on lesser charges.
Alex Strembel was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, maintaining a structure for narcotics sales, unlawful use of a two-way communication device and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was booked into the Branch Jail on binds totaling $40,500.
UPDATE: Strembel faced up to five years in prison on the original felony charge, according to court documents filed online. But on Sept. 4 2014, Strembel in a plea deal was allowed to enter a no contest plea to felony possession of cannabis over 20 grams, but adjudication of guilt was withheld and he was placed on probation for two years.
The drug offender probation levid on Strembel was converted to regular probation on Nov. 17, 2014, his having completed strict conditions of the drug probation. Assistant State Attorney Derek Candela had no objection to early termination. Strembel was represented by high-profile defense attorney Michael Lambert.
Editor's Note: The names and mugshots of the other two individuals have been removed from this story, updated June 3, 2021, after a thorough review of their court proceedings and the fact they were much younger and far less complicit in the criminal case focused primarily on Alex Strembel.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched 12 years ago that serves the Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando, Florida metro area via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed more than 150 award-winning bylines in print & online -- more than all other members of the working press combined in Central Florida since the mid-1990s. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism with academic honors from Full Sail University in 2019. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary programs on Discovery ID and Reelz for his investigative reporting and cops & courts breaking news stories. Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.