“Operation Flamingo Road”, an investigation of the Florida pill pipeline into Kentucky, is being touted by law enforcement officials as the largest drug round-up in the state’s history. Conflicting reports concerning the drug round-up were released from the different investigating agencies, leaving it unclear if Bell County was included at all.

When asked on Friday, Oct. 30, why there were no warrants issued in Bell County through this particular investigation, Kentucky State Police (KSP) Commander of Media Relations Lt. David Jude said, “It’s not that we’re not addressing or investigating the prescription drug abuse problem in Bell County, it’s just that none were connected to this [operation].”

Lt. Jude then confirmed on Tuesday that because of an error in the KSP media relations office, Bell County was mistakenly omitted from the original press release.

The KSP press release issued on Oct. 29 stated that they “obtained 327 of the 518 total arrest warrants issued in 33 counties” but did not mention arrest warrants issued in Bell County. However, KSP also released a map of eastern Kentucky with the number of arrest warrants issued printed on each county, along with a chart containing the same information. Bell County listed six warrants.

Lt. Jude said that was also a mistake. The number of warrants had been duplicated by KSP’s Drug Enforcement Branch when entered into the spreadsheet, according to Jude. The total number of warrants issued in Bell County was, instead, three individuals.

Lt. Jude said that after the mistake was discovered, the statistics were double-checked by the branch commander. He said that it is possible the mistake could have been made for other counties.

“Operation Flamingo Road” was the culmination of a three-year effort involving multiple law enforcement agencies that began with a KSP/FBI investigation focusing on individuals obtaining prescription drugs in Florida then returning to Kentucky to distribute illegally, according to KSP’s press release.

A majority of the charges were for Trafficking in Controlled Substance first and second degree, which are felony charges that include penalties ranging from 18 months to 20 years in prison if convicted, according to the release.

Lt. Jude said he could not detail what charges had been issued against the three individuals in Bell County, but said they were drug-related offenses. He said that, so far, 521 warrants have been issued and 329 individuals have been arrested.

Jude predicted that the numbers would increase as more agencies “add on cases along the way.”

Stephen Woodward is a Staff Writer for the Daily News. He may be contacted at swoodward@middlesborodailynews.com. Managing Editor Brandy Calvert contributed to this report.