ORLANDO, Fla. — Investigators from a task force made up of Orange County deputies, Orlando police officers and Drug Enforcement Administration agents announced the results of a large-scale heroin takedown Wednesday.
Operation "Deals on Wheels" focused on an Orlando group suspected of supplying Orange County a majority of its heroin by way of Colombia.
Ruth Perez-Lopez, 74, and two others were arrested in a Bowmaster Court condo after moving 2 kilos of heroin a month, authorities said. Seven others were also arrested as part of the operation.
"We'll conservatively say they were generating between ($250,000 and $300,000) per month in sales off of this. So it's a very significant organization; that's a lot of heroin," DEA agent Jeff Walsh said.
Officials said members of the group included several co-conspirators, who had served federal prison time for narcotics violations.
One suspect, Elvin Andino, was not arrested in the roundup because he was already in jail for a car chase where his passenger fired at OCSO deputies. Another suspect, Henry Torres, was convicted of murder in 1991.
Investigators said drugs, guns and cash were seized in the bust.
Investigators said the group mainly sold heroin, but they also sold cocaine, marijuana and prescription pills.
"With the pill mills going away, the opiod addicts (are) going out there, being able to get low cost heroin into their systems," Steve Collins, of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program, said.
The HIDTA helps pay overtime for nearly 150 officers on stakeouts of accused drug dealers.
The HIDTA program has been around since 1998, but its funding has tripled since, and the group now has a $3 million dedicated to fight drug trafficking in central Florida.