SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office made 16 arrests as part of a long-term undercover meth investigation, they announced on Thursday.
Deputies say 44-year-old Jennifer Lambert, known as "Mama Jen," distributed methamphetamine in the Nokomis area. They say her drug arrest date back to 2013.
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The following 16 people were arrested:
- Jennifer Lambert, 44, is charged with one count of Trafficking in Methamphetamine and seven counts of Conspiracy to Traffic in Methamphetamine.
- Randy Greene, 48, is charged with one count of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, one count of Possession of Ammunition by a Convicted Felon, one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance, one count of Destruction of Evidence, one count of Trafficking in Methamphetamine, and seven counts of Conspiracy to Traffic in Methamphetamine.
- Robert Cain, 35, is charged with one count of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, one count of Trafficking in Methamphetamine, two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance, and four counts of Conspiracy to Traffic in Methamphetamine.
- Robert McMullen, 56, is charged with one count of Purchase of Methamphetamine.
- Scott Hill, 58, is charged with one count of Trafficking in Methamphetamine and one count of Conspiracy to Traffic in Methamphetamine.
- Patricia Greene, 53, is charged with one count of Principal to Trafficking in Methamphetamine.
- Erik Walker, 38, is charged with one count of Fleeing to Elude, one count of Possession of Marijuana, one count of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and three counts of Conspiracy to Traffic in Methamphetamine.
- Jimalee Willis, 39, is charged with one count of Sale of Methamphetamine.
- Joseph Hochberg, 27, is charged with one count of Conspiracy to Traffic in Methamphetamine.
- Walter "Ricky" Lint Jr., 52, is charged with two counts of Conspiracy to Traffic in Methamphetamine.
- William Williams, 43, is charged with one count of Conspiracy to Traffic in Methamphetamine.
- Bobbi Jo Whiting, 50, is charged with two counts of Conspiracy to Traffic in Methamphetamine.
- Casey Ross, 32, is charged with one count of Conspiracy to Traffic in Methamphetamine.
- Drew Tilson, 29, is charged with two counts of Sale of Methamphetamine and one count of Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device.
- Heather Johnson, 33, is charged with two counts of Sale of Methamphetamine and one count of Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device.
- Ronda Gibson, 57, is charged with one count of Trafficking in Methamphetamine, one count of Possession of a Vehicle Known to Traffic Drugs, and five counts of Drug Possession.
Combined, deputies say the 16 people have a combined 156 prior felony charges with 49 convictions and 149 prior misdemenor charges with 72 convictions.
Ray Teska said his neighborhood was crumbling because of drug dealers and users on the street.
"I got up one morning to come out here and there was a guy laying out here and I kicked him and then I knew he was dead, he was loaded with dope,” said Teska.
Sarasota Sheriff’s deputies said there were 48 deaths in the county due to meth in 2017. Sheriff Tom Knight said the drug is one of the biggest problems his department is focusing on.
“To date we have investigated more than 500 overdoses which resulted in the death of 67 people,” said Knight.
He announced the arrest of 16 people who are what he calls mid-level and street-level dealers. He said the leader was Jennifer Lambert.
“She has a history of drug use and distribution,” said Knight.
He said the arrests resulted in 57 charges. Knight anticipates even more arrests after this operation.
"We’re not done we’ve gathered intelligence and moving forward,” said Knight.
Teska hopes the arrests make stop the problems in his neighborhood.
"These people are going to start thinking whoa what’s going on, so maybe it will die down,” said Teska.
During the operation, deputies recovered 287.82 grams of methamphetamine, two firearms and various illicit drugs were seized.
