Have you seen this man? ARIEL ALFONSO DIAZ didn’t show up for his trial in Seminole County on charges of trafficking fentanyl.

But with the judge’s go-ahead, prosecutors Rich Coln and Donavan Wagner presented their case anyway. And the jury deliberated for just 10 minutes before convicting Diaz of one count of trafficking more than 28 grams of fentanyl and one count of resisting arrest without violence.

The conviction was a win for Seminole County law enforcement agencies and the City-County Investigative Bureau (CCIB) they formed to tackle major crime including the illegal fentanyl trade.  Diaz, 35, now faces a minimum mandatory prison sentence of 25 years and a $500,000 fine.

Diaz, meanwhile, remained a fugitive as of Thursday April 24, having cut off the GPS-monitoring device he was required to wear on his ankle while out on bond awaiting trial. 

The CCIB arrested Diaz in a Walmart parking lot in Casselberry in January 2022 after an undercover agent and a confidential informant arranged to buy drugs from him in a “controlled purchase.”  Infrared video from an overhead sheriff’s helicopter captured the exchange and a short foot chase through the parking lot after Diaz saw agents closing in and ran.

“This is a serious case, but the facts are not overly complicated,” Coln told jurors.

At trial, prosecutors and witnesses said the powder obtained from Diaz later tested positive for para-fluorofentanyl, a synthetic “analog” of fentanyl often mixed with fentanyl to extend the volume of potent opioid powder delivered to users.

Diaz has an extensive criminal history including drug and firearm charges, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office said. At the time of his arrest, he was out on bail for a firearm charge in Orange County.

Judge Michael Rudisill scheduled Diaz’ sentencing for May 5.