DRUG SWEEP NETS 739 STATEWIDE, MANY IN BAY AREA

TAMPA - A weeklong drug sweep has led to 739 arrests statewide, with
most taking place in the Tampa region.

But Florida Department of Law Enforcement officials say the sweep's
statistics may not be indicative of a significant drug problem in the
Tampa area.

FDLE spokeswoman Trena Reddick said local drug operations would have
occurred anyway. Drug busts in other areas of Florida may net more
arrests than Tampa in other weeks.

"It just so happens that during this sweep, we had some operations
that were already coming to closure that were captured in these
statistics," Reddick said.

The Department of Law Enforcement announced the sweep's results at a
news conference Tuesday in Tallahassee.

The Tampa region, which includes Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk
and four other counties, netted 380 arrests. By comparison, the Miami
region had 196 arrests.

Local, state and federal law enforcement officials seized 5,344 pounds
of cocaine, 384 pounds of marijuana, 1,165 grams of methamphetamine,
452 grams of crack and nearly $376,000 in currency.

In the Tampa region, law enforcement seized 5,227 pounds of cocaine,
165 pounds of marijuana, 1,158 grams of methamphetamine and 58 grams
of crack.

During the sweep, which ran from April 23 through 29, teams and task
forces worked to arrest drug traffickers and shut down methamphetamine
labs.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Tampa Police Department and
Pasco County Sheriff's Office were among agencies involved in the
sweep. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office netted more arrests
during the sweep than any other Tampa-area agency, with Tampa police
coming in second, Reddick said.

The operation wasn't focused on taking down gangs or eliminating any
specific drug. It simply was designed to reduce drug crime and drug
activity on the streets.

Reddick wasn't sure how much of an effect the 380 arrests will have on
Tampa's neighborhoods or drug trade.

FDLE spokeswoman Kristen Perezluha said she was unsure how significant
an impact the sweep would have statewide.

"There's still work to be done to rid the state of drugs, and we're
working together with local agencies to get that done," she said.