Marion County, FL – On Tuesday, August 19, 2025, a jury convicted 33-year-old Rafael Then Jr. of Trafficking in Methamphetamine. Judge Barbara Kissner-Kwatkosky ordered Then into custody pending his sentencing hearing.
On July 31, 2023, agents from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Ocala Police Department’s Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team (UDEST), in collaboration with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), arrested Then following an undercover narcotics investigation. Authorities arranged a controlled purchase through confidential measures.
An undercover officer met Then at a business location in the Marion Oaks community. Then arrived in a purple Dodge Charger, exited the vehicle, and entered the passenger side of the undercover officer’s vehicle. During the transaction, Then sold a large quantity of methamphetamine to the officer.
The drugs were secured as evidence and sent to the U.S. Department of Justice’s DEA laboratory, where chemical analysis confirmed the substance as methamphetamine. Then was arrested and charged following the transaction.
The prosecution was led by Assistant State Attorney Samuel Armstrong. The State Attorney’s Office acknowledged the efforts of the law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation.
Source: Office of the State Attorney
