Manatee drug sting nets 33 arrests

A three-month undercover drug operation has yielded 33 arrests in Manatee County, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office reported this morning.

During the months of August, September and October, detectives from the Special Investigations Division Tactical Unit conducted multiple undercover drug purchases from individuals throughout Manatee. As a result of these operations, 125 arrest warrants were generated from 53 different suspects.

Starting Oct. 30, the Special Investigations Division began a round up operation focusing on the physical arrest of these narcotics dealers. With assistance from C.O.P.S., Warrants, Gang, and C.I.D., detectives have arrested 33 individuals on a total of 74 charges.

Listed below is the name of each individual arrested and their respective charges. In addition to the listed charges, detectives seized an additional 140 grams of cocaine, 37 prescription pills, and $1836.00 in U.S. currency.

The investigation continues with more arrests forthcoming.

SUSPECT                        CHARGE

1. Dustin Eckersen           Sale of a controlled substance; sale of marijuana

2. Omar Edwards             Sale of rock cocaine

3. Lavoral Hamilton          Trafficking in illegal drugs

4. Jerrlyn Kayser              Prescription fraud; uttering a forged instrument

5. Keyvis McCullough       Sale of marijuana

6. Robbie Waiters             Sale of rock cocaine

7. Donta Anderson           Sale of rock cocaine

8. Aaron Dunbar               Sale of cocaine

9. Juvenile                        Possessionoss. of a controlled substance

10. Juvenile                      Possessionoss. of a controlled substance

11. Marquinn Gibson        Sale of cocaine

12. Michael Gilbert           Sale of rock cocaine

13. Antonia Harvey           Sale of cocaine

14. Eugene Jones            Sale of marijuana

15. Willie Lee                   Sale of rock cocaine

16. Juvenile                     Sale of rock cocaine

17. Juvenile                      Sale of cocaine

18. Pauline Leonard         Sale of rock cocaine

19. Kelvin Martin              Sale of marijuana

20. Sharon McCullough   Sale of rock cocaine

21. Willie McMann           Sale of rock cocaine

22. Gina Orum                 Trafficking in illegal drugs

23. Joel Rogers                Sale of rock cocaine

24. Humberto Salazar      Sale of rock cocaine

25. Randolf Simmons       Sale of cocaine

26. Chadd Spicer              Armed Trafficking

27. Tony Thomas              Sale of rock cocaine

28. Isaac Welch                Sale of rock cocaine

29. Wayne Yates               Sale of rock cocaine

30. Alexander Belcher       Sale of cocaine

31. Ricky Taylor                 Bench Warrant

32. Lewis White                 V.O.P.

33. Jesus Castillo              Bench Warrant