FLORIDA—Operation Overdrive, a multi-agency effort designed to bring justice to Tampa’s most violent drug traffickers, has reportedly led to dozens of arrests, prosecutions, and substantial drug seizures.
On May 7, a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)-led joint task force announced the results of the five-month, concentrated law enforcement effort dubbed Operation Overdrive. The Tampa Police Department and DEA led the operation’s investigations with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, and the State Attorney’s Office, 13th Judicial Circuit.
“The success of ’Operation Overdrive’ is another example of the power of partnerships,” said Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw.
“By working together with our federal partners at the DEA, we were able to target the root causes of drug-related violence and overdoses in our community. The results of this joint initiative demonstrate our shared dedication to data-driven policing and our commitment to making Tampa safer together.”
Starting in October 2022, the DEA Tampa District Office-led team of local, state, and federal partners reportedly mapped, identified, arrested, and prosecuted more than a dozen drug traffickers in three investigations under Operation Overdrive Tampa.
Through March 2023, investigators said they seized 2.1 kilograms of cocaine, 4.07 kilograms of fentanyl, 3.82 kilograms of methamphetamine, .05 kilograms of oxycodone, .65 kilograms of marijuana, and .82 grams of heroin.
In 2022, the DEA initiated a data-driven, intelligence-led approach using national crime statistics and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. The information was reportedly used to identify hot spots of drug-related violence and overdose deaths across the country.
The data helped determine where law enforcement resources should be devoted and where they will have the most impact: the communities where criminal drug networks are causing the most harm.
