Operation Safe Summer leads to more than 50 drug crime arrests in Northeast Florida

A five-month, multi-county investigation designed to get drug dealers off the streets before students are released for summer break led to 57 arrests last month. More arrests are likely forthcoming, as police announced another 46 people had warrants issued for their arrest as part of the sting in St. Johns, Flagler and Putnam counties, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. Detectives went uncover and bought drugs from street-level drug dealers – everything from prescription drugs and marijuana to cocaine, heroin and ecstasy, the newspaper reported.

Nearly all of the charges are for selling controlled substances, which are all felony charges in St. Johns County Drug Crimes Cases. Other charges some of the defendants may have are from other drugs or paraphernalia they had on them at the time, or for an outstanding warrant. St. Johns County Drug Crimes Cases have a variety of charges and penalties – all based on the type and amount of the drug in a person’s possession. Once the charges involve a sale with actual money changing hands, everything is a felony. In these St. Johns County Drug Crimes Cases, it appears the detectives just hit the streets to find out what they could come up with. In many of these St. Johns County Drug Crimes Cases, police and prosecutors will use the charges against the street-level sellers to try to get the defendant to provide information on the mid- or high-level supplier they get their drugs from. Prosecutors might offer a reduced sentence in exchange for information that would lead to the arrest of someone on more serious St. Johns County Drug Crimes charges.

In St. Johns County Drug Crime Cases like this, detectives will typically record their encounter when purchasing drugs and use marked bills to show they indeed came from the police. Many defendants think that if they ask the person buying the drugs if they are a police officer and the officer says no, then they cannot be arrested. That is simply not true. The undercover officer does not have a legal obligation to disclose that information and the crime of selling narcotics trumps any misinformation from the police in these St. Johns County Drug Crimes cases. Our St. Johns County Criminal Defense Attorney represents people on all types of drug charges, including sales, and knows the details of what police can and cannot do when purchasing drugs undercover.

If you or a loved one needs a criminal defense attorney in Jacksonville or the surrounding area, call The Mussallem Law Firm at (904) 365-5200 for a FREE CONSULTATION. Our St. Johns County Drug Crimes Attorney, Victoria “Tori” Mussallem, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.