LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — Law enforcement broke up a major methamphetamine ring in Lake County on Friday.
Authorities said 25 people were arrested and three labs were shut down along the Ocala National Forest.
One of the locations was at a home in Umatilla in the corner of Lake County, authorities said.
James and Jacob Parrish, along with 23 others, were arrested in connection with the ring. Investigators said all of the suspects were working together to make and sell meth.
“Wow. Oh, my God: My dad and brother. That’s my dad’s house,” Matt Parrish told WFTV.
When asked if the two were involved in making meth, Parrish said, "I have no idea. I have no idea."
The sheriff’s SWAT teams hit several locations around Umatilla and Altoona, mostly secluded places where meth makers find it easier to remain undetected. But deputies said they blew the lid off the secret business with the help of tips from people who wanted to be rid of the trouble in their neighborhoods.
“They would actually go to the stores and purchase the Sudafed and either trade it to the cooks for meth or trade it for money because the new laws prohibit people from purchasing X amounts of Sudafed,” said Lt. John Herrell.
The U.S. Department of Justice said meth production is concentrated primarily along the Interstate 4 corridor between Orlando and Tampa, with lesser production to the north and in the panhandle.
In 2010, 447 labs were broken up across the state, the most in nine years.
WFTV
