CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. – A Citrus County jury has convicted 50-year-old Robert Paul Kowanko on multiple charges related to trafficking illicit narcotics, following a trial last week in Judge Joel D. Fritton’s courtroom.
Kowanko was found guilty of Trafficking in Methamphetamine, Trafficking in Cocaine, Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communications Device, and Possession of Paraphernalia, capping an investigation that began with his arrest in September 2023. He was taken into custody immediately after the verdict and will remain there until his sentencing hearing, scheduled for April 30, 2025, at 9 a.m.
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The conviction marks a significant victory for local authorities in their ongoing battle against the drug trade. “We’ve seen the devastating and deadly impacts of illicit narcotics in our communities,” said Walter Forgie, Chief Assistant State Attorney.
“Working with our law enforcement partners like that of the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, we are targeting the source of these drugs and ensuring defendants face their punishment for the harm they caused.”
Kowanko’s arrest stemmed from a sting operation conducted by the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit (SIU). Detectives had been tracking Kowanko’s activities after uncovering evidence that he was distributing large quantities of methamphetamine in the area.
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On the day of his arrest, officials observed Kowanko and an accomplice, later identified as Sean Thomas Joyce, emerging from a wooded area off US 19 in Crystal River, where a controlled buy orchestrated by the SIU had just taken place.
When officers approached Kowanko near his vehicle, they detained both him and Joyce, who was inside the car. A subsequent search revealed incriminating evidence: a plastic baggie containing a white powdery substance—later confirmed to be cocaine—along with a digital scale and two hypodermic needles in the vehicle. Kowanko himself was carrying another baggie of white powder, identified as methamphetamine, while Joyce was found with additional narcotics on his person. Field tests confirmed the substances included fentanyl and methamphetamine.
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Further investigation revealed that Kowanko had traveled from Port Charlotte with Joyce to deliver approximately half a pound of methamphetamine to Citrus County. After being read his Miranda rights, Kowanko admitted to selling the drugs, sealing his fate in court.
Joyce, his co-defendant, had already pleaded guilty earlier this year and received a 10-year sentence in the Florida Department of Corrections.
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