WINTER HAVEN, Fla.–A multi-agency investigation resulted in the breakup of an international drug ring, with the arrest of 85 suspects and the seizure of firearms and $12.8 million worth of drugs, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced on Aug. 19.
Judd said the drugs—including enough fentanyl to kill 96,000 people—were “smuggled in suitcases” using domestic flights out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). They would book a flight from California to Orlando, then check the luggage, but “never get on the flight.” The receiver picked up the luggage filled with drugs that were then distributed onto the “streets of Polk County.”
The sheriff picked up a large bag of methamphetamine for all to see.The investigation began in September 2020 when the sheriff’s office received information about the “Jefferson family” and that one of the family members was smuggling “large amounts of drugs into Florida from Mexico.”
The wiretap investigation began in February 2022, “during which a court-ordered intercept of communications between suspects within the criminal drug trafficking organization was initiated and monitored,” the sheriff told reporters.
“We brought and made predicate cases for the wiretap throughout the two ensuing years, but we couldn’t get to the top and link the organization together. This was a very different kind of operation. If you look at our chart there, you’ll notice ... three distinct groups of people,” he said, pointing to a wall of mug shots.
He said 85 of the suspects had been arrested and three were “still at large.”
“There was a total of 355 felonies and 93 misdemeanors,” Judd said. “However, the suspects’ previous criminal histories included 690 previous felonies, 712 misdemeanors and 194 felony convictions.”
The investigation yielded 268 pounds of methamphetamine and 6.8 ounces of fentanyl.
“Now that doesn’t sound like a lot—just 6.8 ounces. But according to our DEA partners, 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be a deadly overdose,” Judd said.
“So what does all that mean? It means that 6.8 ounces of fentanyl could have killed up to 96,000 people.”
Forty-nine firearms were seized plus “all kinds of other assorted drugs and pills” plus $235,000 in cash. Judd said the entire bust was worth about $12.8 million.
The sheriff said that the investigation is ongoing and that LAX baggage handlers as well as other airline employees are being scrutinized.
“You think LAX just got a drug smuggling problem at the airport?” Judd said. “I believe that they do and they need to address it.”
Working together to make the arrests were several Florida law enforcement agencies, including the Orlando Police Department, Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), as well as Fresno County, California Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Border Patrol.
Illegal drugs, firearms, and currency seized:
· 268 pounds of Methamphetamine / 112,563 grams ($9,725,040 street value) · 31 pounds of Cocaine / 14,055.17 grams ($1,405,337 street value) · 180 pounds of Cannabis / 81,417.89 grams ($1,628,357 street value) · 3.4 pounds of MDMA (Ecstasy) / 1,692.02 grams ($84,601 street value) · 6.8 ounces of Fentanyl / 192.77 grams ($26,880 street value) · 68 Alprazolam (Xanax) pills · 173 Oxycodone pills · 49 firearms · 3 non-active grenades · 2 bulletproof vests · 1 stolen motorcycle · $235,000 cash
