Sarasota Teen Busted with 6 Pounds of Pot, Nearly 800 Xanax Tablets

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An 18-year-old Sarasota high school student faces a number of drug-related charges after deputies caught him counting cash in his car with a baggie full of marijuana by his side.

The case against Michael Paul Cramer began to unfold Thursday when a deputy went to the Crunch Fitness, 3762 Bee Ridge Road, parking lot acting on a tip. There he spotted a gray Toyota Camry with a single male occupant inside.

The deputy got out of his patrol car and walked up to the Camry, a probable cause affidavit stated.

“Dep. Biegel could clearly see what he immediately recognized as cannabis inside a plastic baggie,” the report states. He also saw the teen “counting money,” but the teen did not see him.

When Biegel tapped on the car’s window, Cramer said, “I’m in so much trouble,” the affidavit said.

Deputies seized $4,300 in cash and 28 grams of cannabis. Once a search warrant was obtained, they checked out the full vehicle, the affidavit states, and uncovered more than 6 pounds of marijuana, 748 Alprazolam (Xanax) tablets, drug paraphernalia and “edible products containing THC.”

Cramer was charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to sell, possession of a synthetic narcotic and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was released from the Sarasota County Jail Thursday in lieu of $3,500 bond.

Deputies did not say what high school Cramer attends.

Booking photo courtesy of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office