Drug Bust in Hillsborough County

Drug Bust in Hillsborough County
Thursday, August 7, 2008

Wonder what Jami Floyd would think of this one.

Deputies busted several indoor grow houses.

So far 70 arrest were made and the Sheriff states there still 9 more they are looking for.

As part of this investigation Deputies found pot growing in 62 houses.

During the course of this investigation deputies found 6,000 plants and 3,200 pounds of marijuana. The cost - $13 million.

(WOW some drug dealer is going to be pissed…lol)

In addition to losing the marijuana, Deputies were also able to recover cash and weapons at some of the homes.

This has been part of an ongoing investigation that started in February.

Hillsborough County Sheriff said this crack down won’t be the last, and as a matter of fact he said this investigation was just the tip of the iceberg.

In addition to the drug charges the sheriff also said the suspects were stealing electricity to power their grow house. They estimated that lose at $500,000.

True Crime Cases would like to salute the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office for a job well done.

Stop the War on Drugs, What is she thinking???

I read this entry over on cnn.com. It was posted by Jami Floyd. I was astonished that CNN would allow a comment like this to remain posted on line.

Court is open for business 24/7. Like a machine, chewing up justice and spitting it out. So if the system is broken, how do we fix it? Here’s how: Stop the war on drugs. Stop prosecuting nonviolent drug offenders as criminals and deal with them as what they are — addicts. And that will free up prosecutors to take the time it takes to seek justice.
And that’s the Last Word.
–Jami Floyd, In Session anchor




Stop the war on drug? What was she thinking when she made a statement like that?

I don’t understand what the war on drugs has to do with Joshua Rosa, but those comments were posted in her blog entry discussing his conviction.

I had to laugh after reading that comment and then reading the following story that was posted on www.baynews9.com




I guess since this was a non violent arrest, all 21 of these suspects should be released and sent straight to a rehab center to get the proper treatment they need for the addiction they suffer from.

I would like to see a list of all 21 people arrested to see if any had any violence associated with their arrest or any history of violence. None was reported.

Under Jami Floyds plan to fix the justice system these 21 individuals would be back in the community. I mean after all it was just 16 kilos of cocaine, 100 grams of crack, marijuana, firearms and cash. No harm no foul according to her new proposal.

I could not agree more with her that there are problems within the Justice System, but not to prosecute people violating laws will never fix any problem within the system.

I would hate to imagine how the United States would be if criminals knew they would only get sent to rehab as long as they are non-violent.

It appears her comments stemmed from the short trial and deliberations of Joshua Rosa claiming the courts were far too busy to spend adequate time for a serious felony case.

Maybe, just maybe the court and jury had the evidence presented in such a manor that there was no doubt about his guilt and this allowed the court or jury to reach a quick verdict.

Of course under her guide lines, maybe the jury was stoned and not aware of what they were agreeing too when they all voted he was guilty, I mean after all they were non-violent and already been to rehab so why not let them serve on the jury.





A few things I have learned over the years

People that don’t want to change will never change their drug habits until they realize they need to change.

People have the option to get help everyday of their life before arrest. Yet they fail to do so. So how is a plan to not arrest non-violent offenders going to be helpful?

This day and age we have resources beyond belief. If Jami Floyds plan ever went into action then we would have to complain that the Rehab’s could not keep up with the treatment of all the offenders.

There is a reason we send people to jail and or prison and remove their rights once they are convicted of a felony. How would you like a person that was never arrested, but went to rehab since they were non violent taking care of your child at daycare?
Just a little cocaine to get your day going...



Just a small Meth Lab Fire, could be your neighbor since they were non-violent meth makers.



I say the system is working just fine and we need more arrest for drugs. If the courts get clogged up because of it, hire more Judges and keep the wheels of Justice moving full speed ahead.

Since CNN would not post my comments there, I thought I would get the last word here.

Of course I could go on and on about this topic, but I will direct your attention to another story in the media











Should they be arrested? after all it was a little non-violent fun being video taped as they got the 2 year old and 4 year old high. Good times.. lol..

Baynews9 Story Here



CNN.com Jami Floyds post here

U.S. Department of Justice
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Drug and crime information here

Drug bust went bad and an innocent person died.

Drug bust went bad and an innocent person died.

Pinellas Park Police was conducting a drug bust when things went wrong. The police said they were conducting a drug bust when they bought crack cocaine from Rashane Barber, 21, and Devonta Merriex, 20.

When the police attempted to arrest the suspects they fled. The suspects were able to get into there get away car and fled the scene. They crashed into Nachenga Robinson, 32, a mother of three.
Her children are 8, 11 and 13.

Shortly after they fled there was a crash. The suspects crashed into Nachenga Robinson, 32, a mother of three. Her children are 8, 11 and 13. Robinson was killed instantly in the crash.

Both suspects once again attempted to flee the scene after the crash. Police were on the scene quickly and was able to track them down and arrest them shortly after the crash.

Two teenagers witnessed the crash and they said "We could tell right off the bat that someone had died because horn was blowing and everything,"
Now the question was asked if this crash was related to a police pursuit and the official response from the police department was, there was no chase by police. No high speed chase took place when the suspects fled the scene from the drug bust.
However, the witnesses said police were on the scene within seconds of the crash. One witness was reported to have said he refused to go on camera but said officers were on the scene within seconds and making arrest.
The police department responded by saying that since there were many officers in the area that could explain the rapid response and on scene time by the police department.
One of the witnesses said "We saw a lot of cops show up as soon as it happened so were pretty sure they were following them.”
Police responded by saying "The location of the crash in relation to the location of drug transaction is only a couple of blocks; we had numerous personnel on the scene in the area.”
Barber has been arrested at least six times according to jail records. Merriex also has a criminal history.

Barber Arrest Report according to the Sheriff's site

Merriex arrest report accoring to the Sheriff's site


So the question of the hour is did police actually have a drug bust planned and just let the suspects leave the scene?

Did they actually pursue the suspects?

On a side note, I strongly support the right of officers to pursue suspects. If anyone should be held accountable for the death of an innocent woman, it should be the suspects. If someone is stupid enough to run from the police they should suffer severe consequences and be held accountable for their actions.