Officers shut down cocaine 'drive-through'

KAREN VOYLES Sun staff writer

Published: Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 12:00 a.m.

Levy County deputies late Friday shut down an apparent cocaine "drive-through" that they say had been operating from a portable storage shed east of U.S. 27.

The drive-through drug sales were reportedly happening from a storage shed at a place know as The Land, which is located off County Road 318 about a half mile east of U.S. 27. Levy County sheriff's spokesman Lt. Evan Sullivan said the Levy County Drug Task Force served a search warrant at the property on Friday.

"It was set up like a drive-through operation where cocaine was being sold, so we got in there and eight arrests were made," Sullivan said.

At about the same time that deputies were shutting down the cocaine shed operation, DUI Task Force Commander Scott Finnen was leading another group of deputies in operating an unrelated DUI checkpoint on State Road 24 across from the Bronson Motor Speedway.

"This is part of our ongoing traffic enforcement around the county - the fourth of what will probably be six DUI checkpoints we will have this summer in part from a Department of Transportation grant," Finnen explained.

Westbound drivers on SR 24 were directed to pull into the checkpoint area, asked to show deputies their driver's license, vehicle registration and proof of insurance.

"While the deputies were looking over the information, they were also listening for tone and volume of every driver's voice, which can be indicators of DUI impairment," Finnen said. Anyone suspected of driving drunk or who may have pulled into the checkpoint without wearing a seatbelt was pulled aside for further examination.

Finnen assigned one person to time the length of the stops. The result was that all but a few of the 136 vehicles that went through the checkpoint were off the highway for less than five minutes and most made their way through the checkpoint in under three minutes.

Sullivan said one person was arrested at the checkpoint on an outstanding Columbia County warrant and another person was arrested for DUI and other charges after speeding through the checkpoint and leading deputies on a short chase on SR 24.

"We did the first one of these checkpoints in Chiefland and we arrested 19 people, including three for DUI," Finnen said. "Another one we did was in Inglis and we issued 20 citations there. We think these are a good way to let people know that we are out actively looking for impaired drivers."

Karen Voyles can be reached at 352-486-5058 or voylesk@gvillesun.com.

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