The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office Drug Task Force, which includes members of the Venice and North Port police departments, arrested four people in connection with the illegal sale of prescription pills outside a pharmacy in Venice yesterday afternoon.

Tatum Shaw and Jason Sheeley met with Cynthia Porvaznik and Harold Slater in the parking lot. Slater provided Shaw with $540 in order to pay for a prescription of 240 Dilaudid pills. Shaw passed the money on to Sheeley, who entered the pharmacy to fill the prescription. Sheeley returned to Slater’s vehicle where he provided Slater with 135 of the pills in exchange for financing the transaction. Sheeley and Shaw then exited Slater’s vehicle and all four suspects left the area. Detectives stopped both vehicles and searches resulted in the seizure of pills, cash and two handguns.

Shaw and Sheeley are charged with Trafficking in a Controlled Substance (Hydromorphone) and Slater is charged with Armed Trafficking in a Controlled Substance (Hydromorphone). Porvaznik is charged with Principle to Trafficking in a Controlled Substance (Hydromorphone).