Florida AG charges 39 for alleged roles in massive drug trafficking ring

FLORIDA—Attorney General Ashley Moody has announced that her Office of Statewide Prosecution (OSP) has filed charges against 39 alleged members of a massive drug trafficking ring reportedly based in Volusia and Putnam counties.

According to Ms Moody, the OSP has charged the alleged group members with conspiracy to traffic in fentanyl, manufacture of fentanyl, conspiracy to traffic in methamphetamine, conspiracy to traffic in cocaine, money laundering, and unlawful use of a two-way communications device.

The AG said the ring was led by Allen Messer, Toure Allen Wilder, Bobby Wilder, and Khyree Douglas Isaac. They were arrested on June 20, along with most of the other defendants.

During the course of the investigation, authorities said they seized enough fentanyl to kill at least half a million Floridians.

“Florida law enforcement continues to work hard to seize deadly fentanyl from our communities—through this recent action, we are charging 39 members of a drug-trafficking ring, and authorities seized enough fentanyl, a highly lethal opioid, to kill at least half a million people,” said Ms Moody.

“It takes a team effort to bring down a drug trafficking organization like this, and that’s exactly what we did in this investigation. Today we put a bunch of drug dealers in jail and made a major dent in the fentanyl, heroin, and meth supply in our community,” added Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood.

According to the Volusia Bureau of Investigation and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office investigation, the group distributed fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine to other dealers throughout the Daytona Beach, Deltona, Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach, Oak Hill, Pomona Park, and Port Orange communities.

Over the course of the investigation, authorities said they seized more than one kilogram of fentanyl, more than 19 pounds of methamphetamine, 69 grams of cocaine, and miscellaneous drug paraphernalia used to manufacture fentanyl and package narcotics for sale.

During a search warrant raid, detectives reportedly found 75 grams of fentanyl stored in a baby diaper.

Attorney General Moody’s OSP will prosecute this case.