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$7 Million Worth Of Drugs Seized In Historic Bust

Posted: 11:51 am EST November 10, 2005Updated: 5:56 pm EST November 10, 2005

Hidden compartments in a semi-truck were stuffed with drugs. Agents say a Kissimmee business was a shipping center for the illegal drugs, with the truck delivering them from Texas to Kissimmee. From there, the drugs would go out to Jacksonville, Orange and Osceola counties.

Undercover agents display some of the drugs that were seized.

The drug agents say the smugglers were creative, but not creative enough.

The vehicle looks just like a regular semi-truck, but a special metal compartment up front was sealed off to hide close to a ton of marijuana, and that wasn't the only thing the crooks were up to.

The truck also had a shipment of freezers, still packed in their boxes, but the compressors had been ripped out of the bottom to hide 127 pounds of cocaine.

In all, agents seized $7 million worth of drugs, the largest bust in Osceola County history. They found $88,000 in cash and arrested 19 people who were running the drugs from Texas to Central Florida. Agents also seized four cars and three motorcycles.

"Obviously, for these guys here, anytime you put that many people in jail out of one organization, that is dismantling the organization or at least this part of it, so you are hurting it pretty good," said Lt. Lindell Harris, Osceola County Investigative Bureau.

Drug agents actually watched the truck as it pulled up to BDB Transmission in Kissimmee, where the drugs were transferred to a trailer. That led to a stash house in Orange County, which agents also busted.

The drug agents said this was also their largest investigative effort in Osceola County history.

Agents said at least one of the trucks had a legitimate shipment and they don't believe the business owners were involved, although the owner's son was arrested. They said the traffickers convinced the truck drivers to join the ring without their bosses' knowledge.
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