Bunnell, FL - A string of undercover drug operations over the past year in Flagler County leads to the arrests of seven people, including two who detectives say were dealing drugs while living in a homeless camp near the county's main branch library in Palm Coast.
Another 10 individuals are still being sought by the Flagler County Sheriff's Office today (March 27th) as deputies try to tie the bow on "Operation Spring Mix".
.@FlaglerSheriff arrests 7 people today as part of a year-round drug-related operation. Details coming to https://t.co/a66cVOTDVN. #Flagler pic.twitter.com/2VIbeaqEuM
— News Daytona Beach (@NewsDaytonaBch) March 27, 2019
Felony arrest warrants are out for 18 suspected drug dealers in total, including a man who was already booked at the Flagler County Jail when FCSO started the round-up today, according to Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly.
“Selling drugs in Flagler County is one way to get the attention of law enforcement and our detectives
did a fantastic job on following up on all leads and getting these poison peddlers off the streets,” Staly noted during a press conference at the Kim C. Hammond Justice Center in Bunnell. "Thank you to all of the members of the community who followed our 'see something, say something' initiative and notified us when they saw suspicious activity or knew of drug deals in our county."
Detectives with FCSO's Special Investigations Unit seized around $15,000 worth of drugs during the operation through search warrants, including fentanyl, heroin, oxycodone, cocaine, THC oil, methamphetamine and cannabis.
One of the two homeless people arrested today - 38-year-old Tony A. Lanning - is charged with selling synthetic cathinones to an undercover officer. That's better known as "bath salts" or "molly".
The other - 23-year-old Gina B. Howard - sold heroin laced with fentanyl to an undercover officer, a mixture believed to be the cause of some overdose deaths for drug users in Flagler, according to Staly.
"Both Lanning’s and Howard’s illegal drug sales took place on the property of the transient camp and public library," Staly added. "Through the investigations, our detectives confirmed allegations of drug sales being conducted at problematic areas inhabited by transients in what can only be described as an open-air drug market."
Lanning and Howard are charged with selling drugs within 1,000 feet of a public park. Howard is also charged with unlawful use of a communication device.
The other six people taken into custody by FCSO or already in custody before today are as follows, complete with their charges:
All will be held at FCJ until their first appearance before a judge or until they can post bond.
Another woman charged in the operation - 26-year-old Samantha L. Bovino - mailed at least nine letters with Suboxone film placed within the seals to an inmate at FCJ during a nearly month-long stretch in March and April of last year, according to FCSO. It's a kind of film that's meant to dissolve the contents in a person's mouth when placed on the tongue.
Bovino and nine others are still being sought by FCSO. Their names and charges are as follows:
FCSO wants anyone who knows where these people are to email tips@flaglersheriff.com or call 386-313-4911. Those who want to remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward of up to $5,000 can call Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida at 888-277-TIPS (8477).
