Today State Attorney Amira Fox and NETFORCE law enforcement partners announced Operation Gulf of America. This was a multi-year investigation to infiltrate and dismantle a large-scale drug trafficking organization that involved drugs being trafficked from Mexico and Puerto Rico to Southwest Florida.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Cape Coral Police Department, Fort Myers Police Department, Lee County Port Authority Police, Collier County Sheriff’s Office, State Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA), led the investigation locally.
Seven search warrants were served throughout Lee and Collier counties in recent days. All 15 suspects involved in a drug trafficking operation that were being sought, were located and taken into custody. NETFORCE partner, the U.S. Marshals Service, assisted in the arrests. The 15 arrested face a variety of charges including conspiracy, drug trafficking, and maintaining a residence for purposes of drug trafficking.
Evidence seized during the execution of the search warrants and during the arrests include: 30 firearms, 1.83 grams of Fentanyl, nearly 10 kilos of cocaine, 10.4 grams of Oxycodone, 1,127.4 grams of marijuana, 730.6 grams of THC wax, and an estimated $150,000 in cash.
This investigation started from an extensive investigation by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. NETFORCE then joined and began the multi-agency Operation Gulf of America. Due to the size of this investigation, additional law enforcement agencies from Texas to Puerto Rico, also assisted. Of the 15 defendants arrested, some worked regular days jobs and were also drug traffickers. One defendant worked in an assisted living facility in Collier County and another defendant worked in the construction industry.
“Unfortunately, there are still people in our beautiful Southwest Florida community who live and work among our law-abiding citizens but make their living or supplement their living from the sale of narcotics. In this case some of them had been operating for a long time, using sophisticated methods to avoid detection and thought they were never going to get caught. Well, we had a little surprise for them yesterday when NETFORCE came for them. We don’t give up,” said State Attorney Fox.
“Operation Gulf of America shows NETFORCE will continue to do what it takes to find those responsible for bringing poison into our community. We will meticulously investigate and track you, and then apprehend you, no matter where you go, and how hard you try to hide. Then we will then prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law, seeking minimum mandatory prison sentences wherever they are applicable,” said State Attorney Fox.
NETFORCE was formed by State Attorney Fox in conjunction with law enforcement agency partners to coordinate a circuit-wide approach to infiltrating and dismantling drug trafficking organizations, organized crime, racketeering, and money-laundering enterprises in Southwest Florida. NETFORCE includes federal, state, and local agencies working together. They are: the State Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, FDLE, Cape Coral Police Department, Fort Myers Police Department, Lee County Port Authority Police, Collier County Sheriff’s Office, Naples Police Department, FHP, Marco Island Police Department, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, DEA, Customs and Border Protection (Air and Marine Operations), HIDTA, Hendry County Sheriff’s Office, Punta Gorda Police Department, Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, and Glades County Sheriff’s Office.
Samantha Syoen – State Attorney’s Office Communications Director