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Stash of Cash in Escambia County

By Debbie Williams Reporter

Published: Wed, October 08, 2008 - 5:05 pm Last Updated: Wed, October 08, 2008 - 5:25 pm

Short URL: http://wkrg.com/a/19812/

Debbie Williams

Almost half a million dollars in cash, guns, drugs, jewelry and nine arrests. That's the result of an undercover drug operation in Escambia County Florida.
Sheriff's investigators say it is one of the largest hauls in eight years and has made a huge dent in the Escambia County drug trade.
In the cover of night, narcotics investigators made unexpected visits to as many as a dozen homes throughout Escambia County Florida.
"We believe the folks we have arrested are responsible for supplying an awful lot of drugs in the Escambia County area," says Sheriff Ron McNesby.
In one home, officers found hundreds of thousands of dollars stuffed in air conditioning vents, book bags, it seemed where ever a hiding place could be found.
In some neighborhoods, neighbors had no idea what was going on right next door but in a neighborhood near Woodham Middle School, Paul Larson had a suspicion. "I'm not saying I knew what was going on but I did make a lot of jokes there was something with drugs going on over there," he says.
The house next door is empty, no one has ever lived there but Larson says there were a lot of late night visitors. "I would see different cars come around the back you'd would never really see anybody but you would see a car come around the back and eventually the car would leave."
In upscale neighborhoods dealers made their homes and their deals. Something narcotics officer Lt. Eddie Barnard says is no longer unusual. "A lot of the times neighbors don't know. The suspects evolved to this point where they move into these neighborhoods where they are not suspicious or not seen and don't have to worry about being robbed or burglarized, they don't stick out."
At least nine drug suspects stuck out just enough, to get caught.
Narcotics investigators believe the suspects may have been in operation in the Escambia County area for as many as four years. The cocaine and marijuana seized int he raids were being shipped from Atlanta and Houston, Texas.