TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Hundreds of traffic stops yielded more than 500 grams of drugs seized during an operation conducted by the Florida Highway Patrol and other agencies as part of a training program in Southwest Florida.
The drug enforcement program trains law enforcement personnel on how to detect and catch commercial vehicles that are transporting contraband on Florida’s roads.
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The week-long program, hosted by the FHP, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, ended with “Operation Ground Up,” an enforcement detail in the Ft. Myers region.
FHP and participating law enforcement officers made 327 traffic stops, issued 100 citations and conducted 100 commercial vehicle inspections during the operation.
“I’d like to thank the Florida Highway Patrol for their commitment to protecting Florida’s families and communities,” Gov. Rick Scott said. “It is because of Florida’s brave law enforcement officers that we are at a 45-year low crime rate.”
Troopers said the proactive enforcement from “Operation Ground Up” resulted in the seizure of 6.8 grams of crack cocaine, 7.2 grams of heroin, 73 grams of bath salts, 422 grams of marijuana, 13 doses of OxyContin, seven doses of Adderall and one dose of Clonazepam.
“This well-executed operation seized massive quantities of dangerous drugs before they could be sold on our streets and poison our citizen,” Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said. “Our nation is battling a national opioid epidemic, and I want to thank FHP, FDLE, DEA and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office for this coordinated effort to stop the influx of deadly drugs into Florida.”
DHSMV Executive Director Terry L. Rhodes echoed Bondi's concerns about the opioid epidemic.
“The drug epidemic is a serious issue across our nation and the FHP is committed to ensuring these drugs are not being transported on our roadways,” Rhodes said. “I am extremely proud of the results of this operation because keeping the seized drugs off the road and performing these commercial vehicle inspections undoubtedly saved numerous lives.”
“Operation Ground Up” is the first time that the FHP has initiated a field operation in conjunction with the training course. The enforcement detail took place in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties.