DEA ‘arrests 290 and raids dozens of pharmacies in Florida where it seized 600 pounds of heroin’

DEA ‘arrests 290 people and raids dozens of pharmacies in Florida where it seized 600 pounds of heroin and opioids as well as a yacht, small plane, and $3.3million in assets’

• Federal agents conduct sweeping raids to crack down on opioid distribution 
• DEA seized some 200,000 opioid and other pills in ‘Operation Cazador’ 
• The raids took place throughout Florida, which has been hard hit by opioids  

By Ariel Zilber For Dailymail.com

Published: 06:55 BST, 1 September 2019 | Updated: 06:55 BST, 1 September 2019

Federal agents arrested 290 people and seized some $3.3million in assets, including a small plane and a yacht, in a series of drug raids throughout Florida this past week week.

Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration also confiscated more than 600 pounds of heroin and opioids as well as more than 35 weapons.

The DEA says that the dragnet is part of ‘Operation Cazador,’ which resulted in the closure of a dozen pharmacies in Florida.

The agency also seized more than 200,000 opioids and other pills as part of its effort to combat an epidemic that has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans every year, according to NBC News.

A Drug Enforcement Administration agent takes part in a raid of a convenience store in Florida suspected of distributing drugs earlier this week

The DEA says that the dragnet is part of ‘Operation Cazador,’ which resulted in the closure of a dozen pharmacies in Florida. Authorities arrest a man suspected of taking part in distributing opioids

‘We’re out there and we’re trying to get ahead of this problem, trying to reduce fatalities in our communities,’ said Justin Miller, chief intelligence agent in the DEA’s Miami office.

In Jacksonville, DEA agents raided a suspected drug house which was alleged to have also included an explosive device and other weapons, WJXT-TV reported.

‘It’s a polydrug, which means there are several types of drugs in that house,’ DEA Special Agent Mike Dubet told the station.

‘There [are] guns in there. There’s also stolen property.’

In Ormond Beach, agents arrested a pharmacist who is alleged to have sold pills despite the fact that she had her license suspended.

Agents in Winter Garden, Florida arrested more than a dozen people linked to a local convenience store that is allegedly involved in multiple overdose deaths.

In total, DEA agents executed some 50 search warrants on pharmacies. They also interviewed 25 physicians.

Florida is a state that has been particularly hard hit by the opioid epidemic.

In 2016, 4,672 Floridians died of an overdose – a sharp increase from the 2015 total of 2,805.

The state blames the deaths on a ‘substantial increase’ in the use of fentanyl and heroin-related drugs. 

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