The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office has reported the dismantling of a major drug trafficking operation, resulting in the arrest of 24 individuals and the confiscation of drugs and cash.
Sheriff Bob Gualtieri stated that the office apprehended 24 individuals and seized approximately 12 kilograms of cocaine and 3 kilograms of fentanyl, equivalent to about 26.5 pounds of cocaine and 6.5 pounds of fentanyl. Additionally, around $237,000 was seized during the search. Gualtieri emphasized the lethal nature of fentanyl, highlighting the potential harm it could have caused in Pinellas County.
"It takes such a minuscule amount of fentanyl to kill somebody," Gualtieri said. "There's about a million people that live in Pinellas County, and those three kilos yesterday could have killed every man, woman and child in Pinellas County and time and a half. That's a lot of dope for these people to put on the streets."
The operation, named Operation Dirty Ink, involved a nearly year-long investigation by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the St. Petersburg Police Department.
Gualtieri disclosed that the cocaine and fentanyl entered the U.S. through the Mexican border and eventually reached Pinellas County. Some of those arrested had extensive criminal histories, including previous drug-related offenses.
The investigation began in January when information was received about Jacob Land selling drugs from his tattoo parlor, Star Status Ink, in St. Petersburg. Detectives discovered that Land was involved in selling cocaine and fentanyl, and the undercover detective made purchases from him.
The operation used undercover detectives and electronic surveillance, including court-ordered wiretaps, to uncover the drug trafficking ring. Gualtieri mentioned that State Assistance for Fentanyl Eradication grant funds supported the operation.
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