FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Lee County Sheriff's Office has concluded a multi-month narcotics investigation, which led to 53 arrests. During the operation, they seized the following:
- 22 guns
- 4.5 kilos of cocaine
- 70 lbs of marijuana plants
- 553 grams of fentanyl
- 914 grams of meth
- $58,000
Standing in front of a video wall filled with dozens of mugshots, Sheriff Carmine Marceno added that 37 out of the 53 arrests faced drug trafficking charges, and that the last search warrant occurred not long prior to the announcement.
"..dealers will fear running the streets of this community, and they will think twice before dealing drugs like candy to our children; and public safety will prevail." said Marceno, who cited increased resources toward combating narcotics sales and distribution approved by Lee County commissioners.
Additionally, LCSO repossessed four vehicles, two ATVs and a jet ski.
"Anything of value that we can take from them, we take, and its forfeiture," Marceno explained, referring to the confiscation of property. "Forfeiture money, forfeiture assets, and we take bad money and we make it good."
Marceno added that these types of large-scale operations occur almost quarterly, and remain ongoing, with information gained toward future arrests.
