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Lead drug ring suspect indicted

Eric Lemon has sold large amounts of cocaine from his Childs Park home, authorities say.

By ABHI RAGHUNATHAN
Published November 18, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG - Even before he could legally purchase cigarettes or drive a car, Eric Lemon was building a rap sheet and a reputation.

He was just 17 back in 1996, but had already been arrested twice on drug charges and was listed in nearly a dozen police reports as a suspected cocaine dealer. He went on to accumulate a lengthy arrest record, as well as a knack for posting bond quickly and getting back on the street.

By the time Lemon was indicted on federal charges Wednesday, he had become the leader of the largest illegal drug distribution ring in Childs Park, according to local police and federal agents. He moved several kilograms of crack cocaine and other illegal drugs through the area each week, authorities said.

Lemon, now 28, was indicted on federal charges of cocaine trafficking and conspiracy to traffic in cocaine. He was being held in federal custody Friday with no bail.

"He's one of the violent criminals. He has a huge impact," said Keith Heinzerling, a group supervisor for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in Tampa, who worked with St. Petersburg police and Pinellas Park police in the investigation.

"His drug activities affect the everyday living of good people in St. Petersburg," Heinzerling said.

City Council Chairman Bill Foster said he was pleased with the arrest. He has been fighting Lemon and other members of his family who are suspected of drug-dealing for years.

As chairman of the nuisance abatement board in the 1990s, Foster tried to shut down the house Eric Lemon grew up in because it was the source of so many complaints. At one time, the police department's Mobile Resource Center was parked next door to the Lemon house at 3427 17th Ave. S in an effort to deter alleged drug sales.

"The residents of Childs Park have always complained about the Lemon house and the activities that go on at that property," Foster said. "The fact that through police efforts we were able to give them some relief ... should go miles in cleaning up Childs Park."

Police spokesman Bill Proffitt said the Lemon drug-trafficking organization doesn't have a name, but is well-known in Childs Park.

When police executed a search warrant at one of Lemon's houses at 3600 16th Ave. S last week, they seized 100 grams of marijuana, 71 grams of crack cocaine and 350 tablets of Ecstasy.

Police obtained the search warrant last week after a confidential informant for St. Petersburg police purchased crack cocaine and marijuana, according to court records.

The search warrant was part of a long-running investigation that has led to the seizure of 21 pounds of marijuana, one kilogram of crack and powder cocaine and 272 grams of Ecstasy. Five others have been arrested as part of the investigation, mostly on drug-related charges.

It is unclear where Lemon obtained the drugs; authorities are still investigating.

It also is unclear just how long Lemon has run such a massive operation in Childs Park, though police say he has been an active distributer and supplier for years.

If convicted of the charges, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Foster said of the arrest: "It's going to make all the difference in the world."

Times researcher Angie Drobnic Holan contributed to this report. Abhi Raghunathan can be reached at araghunathan@sptimes.com or 727 893-8472.

[Last modified November 18, 2006, 05:52:21]