Florida authorities arrest 64 people involved in fentanyl trafficking ring
According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, those arrested were laundering money they made from drug sales in both Polk and Osceola counties.
Fentanyl
The Polk County Sheriff's Office reported Friday that it had arrested a total of 64 people who were accused of belonging to one of the largest trafficking rings in the state of Florida.
According to authorities, the detainees operated out of two businesses, a fishing and bait store and a motorcycle shop. There they laundered the money they made from the drugs they sold in Polk and Osceola counties.
"Operation Rooske,” led by Polk County sheriff Grady Judd, began in January 2021 when, according to Just the News, detectives began investigating "a low-level street dealer."
However, Judd explained at the press conference that they soon realized they were wrong and that the suspected drug dealers were "producing between 500 and 1,000 bags" of 2/10th of a gram of fentanyl, enough to kill 371,000 people.
The business, Judd explained, was "familiar" since, authorities confirmed, the "customers were not involved" and "had no idea" that, in reality, both stores were simply fronts in order to conduct their side business. The Polk County Sheriff said:
"Their customers weren’t involved; they had no idea what was going on. In fact, the owners tried to project a wholesome facade while conducting their criminal enterprise behind the scenes until it all came crashing down on them, thanks to the fantastic work by our detectives."
The Polk County Sheriff's Office worked with personnel from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as well as Attorney General Ashley Moody's state attorney's office.
Officers from the PCSO Organized Crime Unit and the Special Agents of FDLE also assisted in the investigation by posing as customers interested in buying fentanyl from both businesses. They were then able to build a case against the leader of the organization, a 43-year-old Lakeland resident who operated with the help of his wife and daughter.
During the arrest, the sheriff reported that they also seized 742 grams of fentanyl, 13 grams of methamphetamine and 228 grams of marijuana. These drugs are valued at $475,000. Along with this, authorities also seized property worth more than $600,000.
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