Deputies make historic bust: 400 pounds

[NewsHound]

PLANT CITY - A massive cross-country drug ring that smuggled millions of dollars of cocaine into Hillsborough County every week was busted Wednesday, netting five suspects, a cache of weapons and the sheriff's office's biggest-ever bust: 400 pounds of cocaine.

Smugglers moved the cocaine from Colombia and other parts of South America, cloaked the drugs' scent with cayenne pepper to get it through the Mexican border and hid the packages in spare tires carried by interstate car-carrier trucks, said Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee. Drivers made the route at least three times a week.

About $4 million was confiscated by deputies from a Plant City stash house and a smuggling truck, sheriff's officials said, and five SKS assault rifles, three cars and about 180 kilograms of cocaine, evaluated by deputies as a $4.8 million haul, were also found.

"The economy may be bad elsewhere," Gee said, standing in front of a table stacked with bricks of cocaine and bags of cash. "But obviously, in the dope biz, it's flourishing."

Five suspects - Nicolas Sandoval-Rivera, 45, Juan Luis Gonzalez, 32, Victor Navarrete De La Cruz, 24, Irasema Morena-Rojas, 26, and Ricardo Manuel Lopez, 43 - were charged with cocaine trafficking and booked into the Orient Road Jail this morning. Three of those suspects were illegally living in the United States, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

"The border is still very porous," Gee said. "We deport them and they come right back across."

Though massive, Hillsborough's confiscation is dwarfed by a 1988 bust led by "Operation Woodpecker," in which Pinellas deputies, St. Petersburg police and Drug Enforcement Administration agents uncovered more than 7,000 pounds of cocaine in a Tarpon Springs warehouse. Businessman Michael Tsalikis had been importing the drugs from Colombia on a freighter called the Amazon Sky. A U.S. Customs special agent told the Times after the bust, "Unfortunately for you, Tampa appears to have reached Miami proportions."

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it's a charity case from the DEA

it's a charity case from the DEA

That's an incredibly stupid statement.

You've apparently never heard of joint agency investigations.

Or, more likely --- you are just another anti-Sheriff malcontent.

the feds always let the locals take credit for the case. :wink:

the feds always let the locals take credit for the case. :wink:

That may be because:

1. The locals provide most of the manpower.
2. The locals do most of the work.
3. If they didn't let the locals take some credit they might not get help from the locals the next time, and in most cases the feds don't have the resources to work big cases by themselves.

On the other hand, why do locals like to participate in joint Task Forces with feds?

1. The feds provide good financing.
2. Federal penalties are often greater than local for the same offense - the bad guys get more time in prison.
3. The office is a little freer allowing paid overtime for locals working with feds on Task Forces.

It's a win-win situation.

What's not to like?

:?:

Wow 400 lbs of dope and a TPD Sgt in one week. Nice score HCSO, you guys are cleaning up the streets.

If you guys are in fact HCSO, you should quit today. I'm proud to be law enforcement for over 25 years, but the day I sound off like most of you I would quit. The detectives who made that case happened are the hardest working detectives in our agency and should be proud of all their accomplishments. Our detectives made that case happen without the assistance of DEA and the only agency that assisted was a TPD squad that has a very good working relationship with our Major Violators Unit, both squad's being let by the hardest working Sergeants in their respective agencies.

So those of you who are jealous stay off this site and go eat Sh--.

BULLSH1T. IT WAS A GIMME AND YOU KNOW IT. BTW IT WASNT THE BIGGEST SEIZURE. A DETECTIVE GOT CLOSE TO A TON IN THE MID 90'S FROM A CASE THAT HE WORKED UP FROM NOTHING.

April 1986, the HCSO Smuggling unit imported 552 pounds of cocaine from Columbia and off loaded it at Vandenburg Airport.

BULLSH1T. IT WAS A GIMME AND YOU KNOW IT. BTW IT WASNT THE BIGGEST SEIZURE. A DETECTIVE GOT CLOSE TO A TON IN THE MID 90'S FROM A CASE THAT HE WORKED UP FROM NOTHING.

Close to a ton? Close to 2000 pounds of cocaine? In the mid-90's? I was in the Smuggling Unit at that time. I guess you are going to have to refresh my memory.

What detective?
Where?
When?

When agencies share leads and work together that's not a "gimmie," it's good police work. One has to wonder what's wrong with you...

April 1986, the HCSO Smuggling unit imported 552 pounds of cocaine from Columbia and off loaded it at Vandenburg Airport.

Great job! However, the latest bust with $4 million cash in addition to the dope tops it in terms of the overall value of the seizure.

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Incidentally, why is everyone getting so stirred up by a Headline that DOESN'T accurately quote what the Sheriff said?

Here is an actual news story quote:

"TAMPA - Hillsborough County deputies say they have made the largest seizure of cocaine and cash combined in department history.

They arrested five people and seized about $9 million total in cocaine, cash, guns and vehicles. Among the five arrestees are three illegal immigrants from Mexico, including one man who had been deported once before, Sheriff David Gee said.

When asked if he thought drug cartels were involved in the drug smuggling operation, Gee said, "It is obviously a huge seizure, but I won't go beyond that."

The entire story is at http://brandonnews2.tbo.com/content/...e-trafficking/

Some folks are simply too quick to be critical of the Sheriff and the Sheriff's Office. They don't do their research; they make unsupported allegations; and their prejudice shines through.

:!: