DAYLONG DRUG RAID NETS 757 ARRESTS

A statewide drug sweep netted more arrests in one day this year than
during one week in 2007, according to Florida Department of Law
Enforcement.

In all, 757 people were taken into custody Wednesday during a
coordinated effort between the FDLE and 72 local and state law
enforcement agencies, including several in the Tampa Bay area.

In 2007, the same effort lasted a week and resulted in greater
quantities of drugs confiscated, but just 739 arrests.

"We're pretty pleased with the results for one day," said Kristen
Perezluha, an FDLE spokeswoman. The agency could not immediately
explain the increased number of arrests this year.

In the Tampa Bay area, 258 people were arrested, with Tampa police
making 56 arrests, more than any other agency. The Hillsborough
Sheriff's Office charged 38; St. Petersburg police, 19; Clearwater,
20; Pasco Sheriff's Office, four.

Drugs seized statewide included 10.34 pounds of cocaine, 156 pounds of
marijuana, 856 marijuana plants, 23.45 ounces of methamphetamine,
31.78 ounces of crack and hundreds of prescription pills. Officer also
seized $1.16-million in currency.

Perezluha said the sweep was led by the National Alliance of State
Drug Enforcement Agencies as a national effort to highlight the
importance of a federally funded program in assisting the day-to-day
operations of drug enforcement.

Funding for the grant program, called the Edward Byrne Justice
Assistance Program, dropped 67 percent this year, according to the
FDLE. Attorneys general, including Florida's Bill McCollum, are
calling on Congress to restore the program's funding.