- November 17, 2024
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Deputies arrested a convicted felon Thursday after a SWAT team searched his home in connection with a drug investigation, and found a Smith & Wesson .223 assault rifle as well as drug paraphernalia.
A source had told detectives that 55-year-old Anthony DiBella was distributing marijuana, and also “advised that DiBella was a convicted felon and was in possession of numerous firearms to include an assault style rifle,” according to his arrest affidavit.
At about 2:16 p.m. Jan. 5, the source told five detectives that he could buy $75 worth of marijuana from DiBella, and could call them to let them know when DiBella was on his way.
Deputies gave the informant $75 and sent him to DiBella’s home at about 2:32 p.m.
DiBella sold the informant a baggie of marijuana for the $75, and the informant left and met up with deputies, who field tested the marijuana in the baggie. It tested positive as marijuana, and the marijuana and baggie totaled 6.1 grams.
Jan. 29, at about 6:32 a.m., a Sheriff’s Office SWAT team served a search warrant at DiBella’s home.
Deputies searched the garage and found the rifle in a red tool box. There were four mason jars with cannabis residue, “multiple boxes of different firearm ammunition,” a 5-gram baggie of cannabis, baggies with cannabis residue, a cannabis grinder, a scale and other drug paraphernalia.
A detective asked DiBella about the rifle — his response is redacted in his arrest report — and then pointed out that DiBella had a felony conviction on his record, for third-degree burglary in New York in 1980.
DiBella told the detective “he had recently planned on trying to get the felony conviction taken care of with a lawyer,” according to the report.
The detective questioned why DiBella had “said he had forgotten he was convicted but yet recently inquired about getting the conviction taken care of.”
Deputies also found a baggie of cocaine in a prescription bottle, and a box of ammunition inside DiBella's nightstand.
Deputies charged DiBella with sale of marijuana, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of cocaine. His bond for all charges totaled $46,000, according to jail records, and he remained incarcerated as of the morning of Jan. 30.
