Thirty drug dealers in a neighborhood notorious for drug sales were targeted by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Thursday with warrants served on nine homes, eight people arrested and 22 others sought.
Operation Manor Meltdown, a three-month undercover narcotics investigation, was highlighted by the Lee sheriff’s office Thursday afternoon.
Sheriff’s office commander Matt LeClair said the operation started after 2 p.m. and by 3:30 had nabbed eight of the 30 drug dealers sought in Pine Manor, an area just south of Page Field and bordered by U.S. 41 and Summerlin Road.
LeClair said the prevalent drug being sold was cocaine but heroin, marijuana and pills were bought during the operation.“The nine residences we served search warrants on we made buys on,” he said. “And we made some buys on the street.”
LeClair said the operation’s result made a dent in the county as far as sellers go.
“But thirty sellers in one neighborhood is huge, extremely huge,” he said. “There is going to be an impact starting tonight. This is still a very active investigation.” Lt. Jeff Dektas, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office, said, “If you keep coming back we will continue to lock you up, it’s that simple.”
LeClair said the sheriff’s office wanted to let the public know it was taking a pro-active stance in Pine Manor and throughout the county.
“This neighborhood is notorious for drug sales,” LeClair said, adding that when he started with the sheriff’s office working that area 24 years ago it was a drug scene. “We still have a problem, but the sheriff is dedicated to this and will aggressively attack it,” he said, The investigation is the second one in Pine Manor in the past year. Last October the sheriff’s office conducted Operation Mind Your Manor and made drug-related arrests.
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Arrested (as of Thursday)
• Jerry Speed, 22
• Jadaris Banks, 23
• James Pierce, 23
• Willie Baskins, 23
• Reinaldo Cortez, 23
• Lindsey Hollins, 33
• Milton Thomas, 45
• Lisa Benjamin, 50
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