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$10 drug buy yields 52 arrests

It started as a small Tampa police operation and grew into a big investigation with an international cast of characters.

TAMPA - It all started with a small-time undercover drug bust.

Several months ago, a man sold a $10 hit of crack cocaine to an undercover officer in the Central Park public housing complex.

But the more Tampa police looked into the background of the man they arrested - and the origins of the cocaine - the bigger their investigation became.

Before long, the investigation went international - involving a Honduras supplier and a Carnival cruise ship that police say brought hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cocaine into Tampa each month.

Friday, months of undercover work culminated in a massive drug bust that made police department history and could bring some relief to Central Park residents who say they're tired of drug dealers ruling their neighborhood.

Dozens of Tampa police officers, along with state and federal agents, executed nine search warrants and issued arrest warrants for 64 people. Most are accused of being street level dealers, while police say several others are higher-level suppliers - many of them from Tampa.

Police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said the department has never executed so many search warrants involving so many suspects at once. And never before has a single street buy led to arrests with international ties, she said.

By Friday evening, 52 people were in custody on charges ranging from sale of marijuana to racketeering and drug trafficking.

Among them was Tony Ford, 35, of Tampa. Police have accused him of being the top local distributor who they say funneled drugs to mid-level suppliers who then sold the goods through street dealers.

They also arrested a man they suspect arranged for the cocaine to be sent from Jamaica to a pickup spot in New Orleans, where police say Ford was waiting to drive it to Tampa.

McElroy said each person arrested faces several felony charges, and they will all be charged with selling or trafficking drugs near a church, a park and a school and within a public housing project - circumstances that could stiffen their sentences if they are convicted.

State Attorney Mark Ober said he will review every case with the U.S. Attorney's Office to decide whether state or federal prosecution is best for getting the longest sentences possible.

"We've got to prove these cases, so this is really just the first phase," said Ober. He joined Mayor Pam Iorio and Tampa police Chief Steve Hogue to watch as officers brought in suspect after suspect to a staging area near Central Park and filed charges against them.

"We've done our homework, and I'm confident in the strength of this investigation," Ober said.

According to Lewis, the operation worked like this: The drugs came from a supplier in Honduras, a person police are pursuing but whom they won't identify. The supplier sent the cocaine to Jamaica, where police say it was picked up by three Carnival Cruise ship crew members. Warrants were issued Friday for Carnival employees Kene Mills, Casteen Williams and Andrew Tannis. Police say the ship went from Jamaica to New Orleans. There, police say, Henry Anthony Blackeller and another man, Astley B. Stewart, arranged to hand it off to Ford.

In Tampa, police said, the cocaine was also distributed to Rodrich A. Atkins, 32, who they say had a stash house at 8510 Highland Ave.; and Tavaris Brooks, who is accused of operating a stash house at 8402 N 20th St.

Police believe cocaine was also supplied locally to Steven Hardy, Eldred Hardy, Arlanders Alford, Lindevia McCoy and Timothy Broadway, all accused of being mid-level distributors. Police say those five got 53 people - men and women, young and middle-aged - to sell it on the streets in and around Central Park, a public housing complex near downtown Tampa.

"They've had a stronghold in Central Park for too long, but this bust will severely cripple their organization," Lewis said. "We've attacked the upper echelon all the way down to the street. This area here will be dry for a long time to come. And we'll stick around to make sure the drugs don't come back."

Maj. George McNamara said the operation brought 10 pounds of cocaine, mostly crack, into Tampa each month, netting a half-million dollars on the street. Police say it has been going on for two years, and Lewis said he believes other cities including Miami received drugs from the operation.

The investigation lasted about six months, McElroy said. Police staked out homes, followed cars of suspected dealers, executed wire taps and made street-level buys. They worked with the DEA, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the State Attorney's Office.

The collaboration came together Friday morning when more than 100 officers gathered in a sweltering brick warehouse behind the Amtrak train station downtown. At 11:30 a.m., they fanned out through Central Park. They looked for the people on their wanted list, and searched nine residences using drug-sniffing dogs.

Officers got to one residence and found a baby on the porch. They handed her off to a neighbor before going inside.

"That's not right that any neighborhood has people selling drugs on the street, near schools and in front of children," Iorio said.

Some officers went by car, others by horse and on bicycle. They wore bulletproof vests. Undercover officers who didn't want to be identified covered their faces in black cloth.

Central Park resident Ruth Dewberry, vice president of the Residents Council, said she's tired of hearing gunshots in the night. She's sick of finding drug dealers asleep in Central Park units. The arrests, she hopes, will send a message that such activity is no longer tolerated in the place she calls home.

"This is a new beginning," said Dewberry, 54. "We thought at one time that everyone forgot us. Now our kids can play outside and not have to worry about shootouts."