By Staff Report
Approximately 20 months ago, a drug trafficking organization was identified and was found to be distributing large quantities of illegal drugs throughout the tri-state area. The investigation into this organization became known as “Operation Agua Azul.â€
Throughout the course of this long-term investigation, many individuals were found to be distributing narcotics including methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl. These narcotics were being sold to citizens who suffer from addiction right here in our community.
Investigations of this magnitude take time, effort and expertise. Since the beginning of this investigation, more than 50 subjects have been arrested and we have seized 41 kilograms of methamphetamine, 6.6 kilograms of cocaine, 2.1 kilograms of crack cocaine, more than half a kilogram of heroin and oxycodone, multiple grams of MDMA and LSD, several pounds of marijuana and approximately 2.5 kilograms of fentanyl, which has a potential to kill 1.3 million people, or 6% of the population of Florida.
This investigation spanned over 20 months and required thousands of hours, making this the largest drug operation in the history of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Edenfield would like to thank everyone who had a hand in bringing these traffickers to justice, including U.S. Attorney Jason Coody, DEA Resident Agent in Charge Pedro Guzman, the Florida Highway Patrol, the United States Marshal Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Panama City DEA, Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, Bay County Sheriff’s Office, Houston County Sheriff’s Office, the North Star Multijurisdictional Drug Task Force, Sneads Police Department and Chattahoochee Police Department.
“This is not the end, it’s just the beginning,†Sheriff Edenfield said. “We will continue to work together to take drug traffickers off the streets and fight for the safety of our citizens.â€
The following arrests have been made in conjunction with this investigation:
Abdullah Muhammad – Trafficking inMethamphetamine
Arthur Goodwin – Trafficking in Methamphetamine
Ashley Smith – Sale of Crack Cocaine
Cheryl Bernhard – Trafficking in Methamphetamine; Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon
Darryl Owens – Sale of a Controlled Substance (3)
Dawn Herndon – Sale of Methamphetamine (2)
Destiny Bryan – Sale of Fentanyl (5); Sale of Heroine; Sale of Counterfeit Fentanyl
Forrest Reed Jr. – Sale of Methamphetamine (3); Delivery of Crack Cocaine
Giselle Sukanec – Trafficking in Methamphetamine
James Shelmon – Sale of a Controlled Substance (2)
Jeffrey Davis – Trafficking in Methamphetamine; Sale of Cocaine, Pills and Methamphetamine
Keith Edward Summerlin – Trafficking in Methamphetamine
Nikolaus Rabon – Sale of Methamphetamine; Possession of Methamphetamine
Paul Childress – Trafficking in Methamphetamine
Paul Wright – Sale of a Controlled Substance
Richard Outlaw – Sale of Methamphetamine (2)
Tara Baxley – Trafficking in Methamphetamine
Jim Saunders