Entrapment in Orlando: How Cops Use Untrained “Snitches” to Manufacture Drug Cases

By: John Guidry

I have a few facts for you, and I’m using the term “facts” rather loosely. A large percentage of citizens arrested for drug trafficking are victims of entrapment. Shocking, I know. To understand why entrapment is so prevalent in Florida drug cases, you have to understand how the game is played. It often begins with a confidential informant (CI) trying to save themselves from a long mandatory prison sentence.

This system is designed to manufacture crimes, not detect them. And I hate to break it to you, but it happens all the time.

Were You Set Up by a Confidential Informant in Orlando? The line between detecting a crime and manufacturing one is often crossed. Call my office to discuss how we can expose the State’s tactics. Call John Guidry: (407) 423-1117

The Game: “Substantial Assistance”

The process starts when someone is arrested on a serious trafficking charge with a mandatory prison sentence—often 25 years. This person, usually a first-time offender desperate to avoid spending their life behind bars, agrees to become a CI to earn “substantial assistance.” This is a deal where they get years taken off their own sentence for every new, large-scale drug arrest they can “manufacture” for the police.

Law enforcement then unleashes these untrained, unsupervised, and desperate informants onto the streets to set up big drug deals—the kind of dangerous undercover operations that even rookie cops would not be sent on.

The Problem: Willful Ignorance and Zero Supervision

This is the real source of the problem. In Florida, the defendant-turned-CI is not trained or supervised. There are no guidelines. The narcotics agent simply tells the informant, “Call me when you have a deal ready to go.”

They don’t ask how the CI set up the deal. They don’t want to know if the CI spent months pressuring, begging, or luring someone into committing a crime they were not otherwise predisposed to commit. This willful ignorance is how abuse happens. And that abuse is called entrapment.

This hands-off approach creates a dangerous urban myth. The agent often stays out of the actual transaction, believing this legally protects their informant. It’s much like the myth that a prostitute can ask a potential client if they’re a cop and the officer is legally required to tell the truth. Both myths create a lot of work for defense attorneys.

The Result: Entrapment

Because the CI is unsupervised and highly motivated to create the biggest case possible to save themselves, they don’t just find crime—they create it. They find people who are not drug dealers and, through pressure and manipulation, convince them to participate in a single transaction. This is the very definition of entrapment.

While I haven’t detailed the legal elements of an entrapment defense here (you can find more on my website), I want you to understand the corrupt climate that leads to so many of these unjust arrests.

John’s Takeaways

• Entrapment is rampant in Florida drug cases, largely due to the “substantial assistance” system that incentivizes desperate informants.
• Confidential Informants (CIs) are often untrained and completely unsupervised, and their law enforcement handlers frequently practice “willful ignorance” regarding their methods.
• The entrapment defense focuses on proving that law enforcement, through their informant, induced or encouraged a person to commit a crime they were not otherwise ready and willing to commit.

I have been fighting against these exact government tactics for my clients in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Brevard, and Volusia County since 1993. If you believe you were set up, call my office.

About John Guidry II

John Guidry II is a seasoned criminal defense attorney and founder of the Law Firm of John P. Guidry II, P.A., located in downtown Orlando next to the Orange County Courthouse, where he has practiced for over 30 years. With more than three decades of experience defending clients throughout Central Florida since 1993, Guidry has successfully defended thousands of cases in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Brevard, Lake, and Volusia counties. He has built a reputation for his strategic approach to criminal defense, focusing on pretrial motions and case dismissals rather than jury trials.

Guidry earned both his Juris Doctorate and Master of Business Administration from St. Louis University in 1993. He is a member of the Florida Bar and the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. His practice encompasses the full spectrum of Florida state criminal charges, with a particular emphasis on achieving favorable outcomes through thorough pretrial preparation and motion practice.

Beyond the courtroom, Guidry is a prolific legal educator who has authored over 400 articles on criminal defense topics. He shares his legal expertise through his popular YouTube channel, Instagram, and TikTok accounts, where he has built a substantial following of people eager to learn about the law. His educational content breaks down complex legal concepts into accessible information for the general public.

When not practicing law, Guidry enjoys tennis and pickleball, and loves to travel. Drawing from his background as a former recording studio owner and music video producer in the Orlando area, he brings a creative perspective to his legal practice and continues to apply his passion for video production to his educational content.