Officials arrest 53 in drug ring

Hillsborough officials arrest a man who they say, along with relatives and associates, distributed methamphetamine.

By KATHRYN WEXLER

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 25, 1999

Deputy Frank J. Cheshire escorts suspected drug ringleader Waylon Crotts from his home after an early morning raid Monday. [Pool photo]

PLANT CITY -- Drug agents arrested 53 people Monday in a crackdown on what officials call the area's biggest methamphetamine ring, led by a 23-year-old man and his closest relatives.

Alleged ringleader Waylon "Booger" Crotts, of 5704 S Calhoun Road in Plant City, faces federal charges of conspiracy to traffic in and deliver methamphetamine.

"He was a major supplier in Hillsborough County," said Hillsborough Sheriff Cal Henderson, adding that the arrests should put a big dent in the methamphetamine trade in Hillsborough.

Officials said Crotts and his associates imported the drug to Hillsborough County from labs in California or Mexico. Monday's arrests followed previous arrests of 39 others that officials said were involved in the ring that reached out to as many as 200 people. Federal, state and local agencies formed a task force last August to target the group after Hillsborough detectives started infiltrating the organization.

Methamphetamine, often called speed, crank or meth, induces a high similar to that of cocaine but costs less and can be more addictive. The market for the drug has widened in the last several years, Henderson said, spreading from neighboring Polk County.

Agents also arrested Crotts' father, Jimmy L. Crotts, 55, of Plant City, and brother, Jimmy L. "Bubba" Crotts Jr., 32, of Seffner, along with Tina S. Crotts, 30, of Plant City and Michelle K. Crotts, 32, of Lithia.

All but two of the 53 people arrested were from Hillsborough County. The two are from Polk County. Eight were managers of the ring, and could face life in prison if convicted of federal charges, said U.S. Attorney Charles Wilson.

The others face state prosecutions on charges ranging from trafficking, possession and delivery of drugs to illegal possession of guns by felons.

Investigators think the drug ring led to numerous property crimes, as desperate low-level dealers turned to robbery and burglary to pay their suppliers.

Throughout the course of "Operation Impact," officials said, they seized 39 pounds of methamphetamine, worth an estimated $1.7-million. Agents also recovered more than $40,000 in cash and 45 guns, as well as about $100,000 in suspected stolen property.