“We have 111 folks that have been indicted on 262 counts for distribution of drugs, all across the state. From pot to methamphetamine, cocaine and pain medications,” said Lee County Sheriff Gary Parsons.
Those arrested were taken to specific points and were place in a van for transport to the sheriff's office where the prisoners were processed and transported to the regional jail.
“This is the largest one day round up that has ever been done in Lee County's history. My people have put in long hours and I really appreciate them,” stated Sheriff Parsons.
“I'm tired of my people going out, taking these cases, and then the court then giving these folks suspended sentences and [letting them walk] back out on the street. I hope, today, the courts will recognize that and give these folks some time and send the message that we have to take these dope dealers off the streets. There is no deterrent if these folks don't get some time in jail,” Sheriff Parsons stated emphatically.
Commonwealth Attorney Shawn L. Hines said with the number of people indicted that drug dealers will take notice of what is happening.
“I believe that we will be taking out a lot of dealers. There are major dealers along with everyday pill pushers that we hope to take out of people's community,” he said. “Over the past year there has been a lot of complaints and tips that have came in from citizens and we have acted on those and hopefully we will do the people of Lee County good today,” he added.
Phase I started in early February 2006 against those individuals in Lee County who keep flaunting the law and deal drugs on the streets and in the communities. Officers spread throughout the county to gather information against individual drug dealers they knew along with concerned citizens who identified drug dealers.
Phase 2 began on December 8, 2006, when Lee County Investigator Fred Rouse presented the cases before a multi-jurisdictional grand jury which returned nearly 100 indictments against various individuals for the illegal distribution and possession of drugs. The remaining indictments were handed down by a Lee County Grand Jury on January 5, 2007.
Most of the 262 counts indicted deal with the illegal distribution or possession of Oxycodone (Oxycontin and Perocet), Hydrocodone (Lortab), Methamphetamine, Cocaine, Morphine, Methyphenidate (Ritalin), Alprazolam (Xanax), Burprenorphine, Methadone, Amphetamine, and marijuana.
Phase 3 started yesterday with the surprise arrest of individuals by the Lee County Sheriff's Department deputies.
Sheriff Parsons said the department was especially grateful to the Drug Task Force as it continues to help equip and fund the largest part of the local investigative efforts in the local fight against illegal drug activity.
“Other individuals have been continuously in and out of the criminal justice system and have remained on the radar screen of the Lee County investigator's office. Several of the people arrested today as part of Phase 3 were serving terms of supervised probation or an active sentence under home-electronic monitoring when they were caught dealing drugs,” Sheriff Parsons said.
Phase 3 will continue until each and every person indicted is located and taken into police custody.
Phase 4, the prosecution of the 111 defendants in criminal court, also begins immediately. Court dates will be set within weeks and, as is the policy of the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office on drug offenses, those defendants will have the choice between pleading guilty outright to the charges or facing a Lee County jury.
“We hope to see the rewards of our law enforcement efforts in the court system. We feel that the court system's “experiment” with suspended sentences, lenient probation, and house arrest has not worked. Law enforcement will come to vigorously pursue these drug dealers and seek lengthy prison sentences for them. With all the separate law enforcement agencies working closely together with imput from the citizens in our communities, an aggressive effort from our prosecutor's office, and tougher sentences handed down by our court system, we are on the road toward standing together as a county against the illegal distribution and possession of controlled substances,” stated Sheriff Parsons. “Clearly, the people of Lee County are fed up with the drug problem. Thankfully, more citizens are now willing to come forward and provide the sheriff's department with crucial information about what they are seeing and hearing in their communities. The importance of this cooperation between the people of Lee County and our law enforcement officers cannot be overstated. We hope that these arrests serve as a signal to the public that we are listening to their concerns and are putting forth every effort to rid Lee County of this plague,” he added.
The four phases of Operation S.T.A.N.D. will be nearly completed in the court system over the next year. People of Lee County can rest assured that Phase 1 of the next drug sting operation is already well underway, officials said.
The names of those arrested have not been released by the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
C.J. Harte is a Correspondent for the Daily News. He can be reached via e-mail at charte@middlesborodailynews.com.
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