PENSACOLA, Fla. – According to a report from WCTV, 21 people have been arrested for running a drug trafficking operation- tagged ‘Operation Crazy 8’ by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The ring stretched from South Florida all the way to Bainbridge, GA.
Four more suspects are being sought.
The sting was conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Okaloosa and Walton County Sheriff’s Offices, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Miami-Dade Police Department and members of the North Florida High Intensity Drug Task Force.
FDLE says authorities began investigating the case after identifying a drug ring in Okaloosa County. Members of that ring were acquiring large amounts of illegal drugs from South Floriday and selling them in Walton and Okaloosa Counties.
The ring allegedly sold prescription painkillers, including oxycodone and hydromorphone – some of which were obtained from pain clinics in South Florida.
Investigators believe the suspects netted during the operation were a main source of illegal drugs in the Panhandle and South Florida, as several shipments containing hundreds of illegal painkillers were intercepted by law enforcement.
In a press release from FDLE, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said, “This massive drug interdiction operation WILL save lives and send a strong message to anyone trying to traffic opioids in our great state/ This case is just one of many examples of how seamlessly our great law enforcement partners work together to stop drug trafficking and save lives.”
While most were from Florida, one woman in custody is from Bainbridge, GA.
The following suspects were arrested Thursday:
Elizabeth Haire, 71, Bainbridge, Georgia
• Trafficking in hydromorphone (conspiracy)
Victoria Bruton, 44, Miami
• Trafficking in hydromorphone (conspiracy)
• Trafficking in hydromorphone, 2 counts
• Delivery of a controlled substance (conspiracy)
Tanisha Lashan Curry, 39, Miami
• Armed sale, manufacture, delivery or possession of oxycodone with intent to sell
• Delivery of oxycodone (conspiracy)
• Possession of morphine
Clifford Erskin Howard, 51, Miami
• Trafficking in oxycodone
• Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
Ronald Wesley Fields, 54, Miami
• Trafficking in oxycodone
Michael Williams, 58, Miami
• Trafficking in oxycodone
Joycelyn Dolores Green, 74, Miami
• Delivery of oxycodone (conspiracy)
Georgiana Williams, 31, Crestview
• Trafficking in hydromorphone (conspiracy)
• Trafficking in hydromorphone, 2 counts
Robin Godsey, 60, Crestview
• Illegal use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
• Conspiracy to possess a controlled substance
Randal Dees, 50, Crestview
• Illegal use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
• Conspiracy to possess a controlled substance
Tidalux Burgess, 73, Destin
• Illegal use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
• Conspiracy to possess a controlled substance
Stormy Bones, 37, Panama City Beach
• Illegal use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
• Conspiracy to possess a controlled substance
Matthew Barry, 27, Defuniak Springs
• Illegal use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
• Conspiracy to possess a controlled substance
Margaret Barbaree, 45, Crestview
• Illegal use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
• Conspiracy to possess a controlled substance
Dana Bafetti Clah, 48, Crestview
• Illegal use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
• Conspiracy to possess a controlled substance
Gary Thibault, 43, Crestview
• Illegal use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
• Conspiracy to possess a controlled substance
Tyshaun Tarver, 39, Pensacola
• Illegal use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
• Conspiracy to possess a controlled substance
Michelle Rogers, 42, Crestview
• Illegal use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
• Conspiracy to possess a controlled substance
Stacey Minick, 39, Crestview
• Illegal use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
• Conspiracy to possess a controlled substance
Ashley McDaniel, 36, Cantonment
• Illegal use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
• Conspiracy to possess a controlled substance
Jonathan Grice, 37, Crestview
• Illegal use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
• Conspiracy to possess a controlled substance
The following four suspects are still at large:
Daniel Bertram, 49, Destin
• Illegal use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
• Conspiracy to possess a controlled substance
Tiffany Russell, 34, Defuniak Springs
• Illegal use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
• Conspiracy to possess a controlled substance
Vickie Renee Acevedo, 49, Kissimmee.
• Sale of a controlled substance
• Conspiracy to possess a controlled substance
• Illegal use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
Gabriel W. Manley, 48, Miami
• Sale of a controlled substance
• Conspiracy to possess a controlled substance
• Illegal use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
