- The Polk County Sheriff's Office says their latest drug bust resulted in the largest seizure of fentanyl in the history of the agency. Also seized at the residence was 24 pounds of THC edibles, 2.4 pounds of marijuana, and a pound of methamphetamine. According to the Florida transgender athlete ban heads to DeSantis' desk, Report: Cruises could restart this summer under CDC guidance, Video shows Hillsborough County deputy help alligator across busy intersection, Fact-checking President Biden's address to Congress, Republican response, COVID-19 vaccine specially developed for animals is on its way to ZooTampa, Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter. One of the suspects, 34-year-old James McClain, reportedly sold methamphetamine that was dyed blue. Demarcus Terrell Jefferson, 32: Sheriff's officials say detectives heard Jefferson and other family members were smuggling drugs on flights and made several undercover drug purchases at his home at 2073 9th Lane NE in Winter Haven. The sheriff's office announced the arrests in alphabetical order: Jerald Anderson, 35, of Lake Wales was arrested for: Conspiracy to sell marijuana (21 Counts) Conspiracy to sell cocaine (8 counts) Conspiracy to purchase cocaine (2 counts) Conspiracy to purchase marijuana (1count) Unlawful use of two-way communication device (1 count) Possession of cannabis over 20 grams (1count) Possession of cannabis with intent to sell (1count) Possession of drug paraphernalia (1count) Maintaining a vehicle for drugs (1count) Driving with a suspended license (1count), George Ashe, 43, of Bartow was arrested for: Conspiracy to purchase marijuana(2 counts) Unlawful use of a two-way device (1 count), William Byrd, 29, of Lakeland was arrested for: Conspiracy to purchase cannabis (4 counts) Unlawful use of two communication device (1 count), Fenel Celestin, 33, of Lake Wales was arrested for: Trafficking in methamphetamine (1 count) Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (1 count) Possession of Xanax (1 count) Possession of ammunition by a convicted felon (1 count) Possession of cocaine with intent to sell (1 count) Possessing a structure to traffic drugs (1 count) possession of marijuana with intent to sell (1 count) Possession of drug paraphernalia (1 count), Ashauntea Dias, 20, of Lake Wales was arrested for: Possession of heroin (1 count) Possession of drug paraphernalia (1 count) Possession of a firearm by a delinquent (1 count), Kelvin Eads, 47, of Frostproof was arrested for: Conspiracy to purchase marijuana (3 counts) Unlawful use of two communication device (1 count), Patrick Fields, 34, of Lake Wales was arrested for: Trafficking in methamphetamine 28 grams or more (1 counts) Conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine 28 grams or more (1 count) Conspiracy to sell cocaine (2 counts) Conspiracy to sell marijuana (3 counts) Conspiracy to purchase marijuana (1 count) Conspiracy to traffic cocaine 28 grams or more (1 count) Unlawful use of two-way communication device (1 count) Possession of marijuana over 20 grams Possession of MDMA (Ecstasy) Possession of drug paraphernalia Maintaining a residence for drugs, Silvia Gonzalez, 41, of Lake Wales was arrested for: Conspiracy to purchase marijuana (5 counts) Conspiracy to purchase cocaine (8 counts) Unlawful use of two communication device (1 count), Johnny Hamilton, 55, of Lake Wales was arrested for: Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (1 count) Resisting an officer without violence (1 count) Possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell (1 count) Possession of codeine with intent to sell (1 count) Possession of drug paraphernalia (1 count), Terrance Hamilton, 48, of Lake Wales was arrested for: Possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, Shantavis Handford, 19, of Winter Haven was arrested for: Possession of cocaine (1 count) Possession of marijuana with intent to sell (1 count) Possession of drug paraphernalia (1 count), Clifford Hart, 35, of Winter Haven was arrested for: Conspiracy to purchase marijuana (3 counts) Conspiracy to sell marijuana (30 counts) Unlawful use of two communication device (1 count), Julie Howell, 34, of Lakeland was arrested for: Possession of cocaine (1 count) Possession of drug paraphernalia (1 count) Trafficking in methamphetamine (1 count), Jackquez Irving, 28, of Lake Wales was arrested for: Conspiracy to purchase marijuana (2 counts) Unlawful use of a two-way device (1 count), Kerry Johnson, 42, of Orlando was arrested in Orange County for a Polk County warrant for: Conspiracy to sell marijuana (3 counts) Unlawful use of two communication device (1 count), Adrienne Kinsler, 31, of Plant City was arrested for: Possession of cocaine (1 count) Possession of drug paraphernalia (1 count) Possession of oxycodone (1 count) Possession of marijuana under 20 grams (1 count) Possession of prescription medication without a prescription (1 count), Jose Lopez-Ortiz, 26, of Lake Wales was arrested for: Conspiracy to purchase marijuana (8 counts) Unlawful use of two communication device (1 count). They make money off the misery of others. Among the 85 suspects arrested, Judd singled out six that he called "ringleaders.". Methamphetamine destroys lives, degrades communities, and ruins families. Trafficking in methamphetamine (F1) You think weve got a big operation going on here? Brenda Argueta is a digital journalist who joined ClickOrlando.com in March 2021. Detectives also searched his residence at160 Serenity Blvd. May 3, 2021 / 12:45 PM / CW44 Tampa Bay. More:Polk County Sheriff's Office: Winter Haven man fatally shot by officer Saturday night, More:3 Polk County deputies charged with felonies related to evidence tampering, More:Body cameras revisited after suspect fatally shot by Winter Haven police. Detectives arrested Castro Solache and Mondragon on Oct. 12 and booked them in Polk County, the release said. The man in the SUVand the driver of the Kia unloaded whatever was in the trunk of the Kia into the SUV. He is being held without bond. But now his golf course community days are over. Judd added that not all of the drugs were destined for our area, but that members of the Juarez and Sinaloa drug cartels had expressed interest in setting up a central Florida hub for distribution. We arrested the people. There were also 49 firearms seized and all kinds of other assorted drugs and pills worth $12.8 million, the sheriff said. Undercover agents arranged a controlled delivery of the pills to Amber Cayson, 37, at 3237 Xerxes Ave. in Winter Haven, the PCSO said. A fourth, 1140 Dugdown Road, was listed in Buchanan. Deputies are looking for a hit-and-run driver after a crash Sunday night seriously injured a 67-year-old motorcyclist in Winter Haven. I believe that they do and they need to address it, he said. His current sentence runs through 2040. Authorities identified 55-year-old Lisa Radina as a dealer. The investigation began in September 2020, officials said, when detectives executed a search warrant in Winter Haven and seized a pound of methamphetamine. Possessing a vehicle for drug trafficking (F2) While investigating the gas station crash, detectives received information that Demarcus and other members of the Jefferson family were involved in smuggling large amounts of methamphetamine through airlines in checked luggage on domestic flights from California. March 22, 2023. All of this drug here was not destined for Polk County, just a piece of it, Judd said. According to the sheriff, they were taking drugs out of the trunk so deputies wouldn't find them during their crash investigation. Judd identified six people as the ring leaders: Demarcus Terrell Jefferson, 32, of Winter Haven, Dwayne Kenneth Stackhouse Sr., 39, of Lake Wales; Abadosh McKenzie, 41, of Riverview; Lenard Henderson, 42, of Polk County, Javarius Samuel, 31, of Fresno, California; Darmonte Munson, 30, of Winter Haven. There needs to be a deep dive into the baggage handling and to see where the hookup was to allow suitcase after suitcase after suitcase to get through the scanning with no clothes inside no evidence of clothes inside just drugs, he said. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. When they retrieved the narcotics from Meers' truck, they found luggage with 16 vacuum sealed bags containing approximately 35 pounds of methamphetamine. 5 suspects arrested The 85 arrests involved 355 combined felonies and 93 misdemeanors in a case centered on drug trafficking in the area around Winter Haven, Florida, authorities said. Using what it called the "largest wiretap in Polk County history," the Polk County Sheriff's Office said it broke up an international drug smuggling ring operated out of Winter Haven, which moved large amounts of drugs from Mexico, through Los Angeles and into the Winter Haven using checked luggage in commercial airlines. POLK COUNTY -- A search warrant was executed at an Osceola, WI residence on February 13, 2020 by the Polk County Sheriffs Office, St. Croix Valley Drug Task Force, and Osceola Police Department, according to a probable cause report from the Polk County Sheriffs Office. Cayson is charged with: Apr 29, 2021 WINTER HAVEN -- Law enforcement agencies say a random shipment of pills led them to the biggest meth haul in Polk County history, and broke up a drug ring being directed from a federal penitentiary. WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Authorities say a two-year undercover investigation resulted in The Polk County Sheriff's Office said their narcotics detectives and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force made 29 arrests in the Lake Wales area and issued arrest warrants for three suspects related to the trafficking, sale and possession of illegal drugs. They learned her supplier was Nareo Lewis after she asked an undercover detective to drive her to his home on Colorado Avenue so she could pick up 7 grams of fentanyl. Investigators seized 1,416 pounds of crystallized and liquid meth with a street value of over $50 million. Cayson is currently in the Polk County Jail with no bond. But according to our DEA partners, 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be a deadly overdose. ( NewsNation) - Florida authorities say 85 people were arrested in connection to an international drug trafficking This time, leading investigators to the United States Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta where 37-year-old Brian Staton, known as "Lil B" was being held. "But what did he have with him when he drove into the front of this store while impaired? They use violence as a means to enforce their trafficking business. International drug trafficking ring busted in Polk County Ken Suarez reports. Sibley said the investigation is ongoing and could yield further arrests. Criminals dont know borders or boundaries.. Sheriff Grady Judd said surveillance video from the gas station showed people in masks running up to the totaled vehicle and grabbing items from the car's trunk before deputies arrived at the scene. The primary drug trafficking broker operated from a federal prison in Georgia. We bought and made predicate cases for the wiretap throughout the two ensuing years, but we couldnt get to the top and link the organization together. He tried to flee, but was apprehended. The drugs were secured and Meers was later arrested during a traffic stop where authorities say she admitted to being paid $500 a kilo by Stanton for deliveries. He is in the United States illegally. The investigation is ongoing, and more arrests and charges are pending. The suspects have been charged with a combined 355 felonies and 93 misdemeanors. During the investigation, Stanton, from within the federal prison in Atlanta, coordinated and arranged with undercover detectives the purchase and delivery of approximately 26 pounds of methamphetamine from Georgia to Polk County, Florida. We will continue to follow up leads and make more arrests, so those who think they got away from us think again.. The fatal shooting of a 17-year-old in Haines City last week is believed to be connected to another shooting that occurred minutes earlier that same day, according to the Polk County Sheriffs Office. Possession of drug paraphernalia (M1). Judd praised Sibley for leading the operation. You think LAX has got a drug smuggling problem at the airport?". Meers, 43, had only left federal prison in January and was on probation for a previous drug-trafficking conviction, Judd said. Now shes an arrested girl," Judd said. The Sheriff's Office said he is charged with DUI manslaughter in that incident and his criminal case is pending. "Some people still call this low-level, non-violent drugs. Judd appeared with State Attorney Brian Haas and representatives from the U.S. Border Patrol, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Winter Haven Police Department and the Osceola County Sheriffs Office to detail the results of a drug sting investigation that included the use of wiretaps for what Judd said was a ring that ran from Mexico to Los Angeles and Fresno, California, and then arriving to Central Florida through domestic flights to Orlando International Airport. Investigators also seized 20 guns, three of which were reported as stolen, the release said. Stanton's criminal history includes 26 arrests in Georgia to include charges of trafficking in methamphetamine, conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine, threatening a law enforcement officer, furnishing alcohol to a minor, and numerous parole and probation violations. HSI agents and South Fulton County Police Department arrested Palacios and seized 77 pounds of methamphetamine, a stolen vehicle, and a stolen shotgun. 29A drug bust was executed at a Lebanon residence Thursday. HSI agents and Georgia officers searched those and other locations, arresting three men and seizing 1,416 pounds of crystal and liquid meth, the release said. Please enter valid email address to continue. The first and biggest bust occurred on Oct. 12 when Mario Alberto Castro Solache, 29, of Raleigh; Pedro Mondragon, 27, of Lillington; and Ignacio Rodriguez, 28, Bradenton, Florida, were arrested in connection to the largest drug bust in the history of Polk County, Florida. In February 2022, detectives received a court order for a wiretap and began monitoring suspects, officials said. 43-year-old Jennifer Meerswho resides at467 Allana Court, Stone Mountain, Georgia.
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