“Operation Trackside” nets 24 arrests, $450,000 and firearms
By Mauricio Maldonado
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PALM BEACH, Florida (WFOR) — Florida officials on Tuesday announced the arrests of 24 people in a drug trafficking takedown spanning Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Attorney General James Uthmeier’s office said the 14-month investigation, called “Operation Trackside,” uncovered trafficking of fentanyl, cocaine and oxycodone.
Investigators seized more than 11 pounds of narcotics, $450,000 in cash, firearms, vehicles and a boat.
Detectives obtained 17 search warrants during the case, and on Sept. 3 officers from multiple agencies executed 15 of them at once.
The searches turned up six handguns, two semi-automatic rifles, 11 vehicles, one boat, 5,027 grams of narcotics and $452,026 in cash.
Defendants face wide range of charges
The Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution is charging two dozen defendants in connection with the ring.
Seventeen face conspiracy to traffic in cocaine, while others are charged with trafficking fentanyl, trafficking oxycodone, solicitation to deliver controlled substances and related offenses. Five suspects remain at large.
Multiagency effort backed by state program
The investigation was led by the Boynton Beach Police Department in partnership with state, local and federal agencies.
It was supported by the State Assistance for Fentanyl Eradication (SAFE) program, which funds statewide efforts to combat the spread of fentanyl in Florida communities.
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