$53M Record Seizure Of Meth, Plus Guns, Six Charged: Sheriff

WINTER HAVEN, FL — A record 1,500 pounds of crystalized and liquid methamphetamine worth an estimated $53 million was recently seized in a raid, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Thursday.

He appeared with representatives from federal and local law enforcement agencies at a Thursday news conference to discuss a joint investigation deemed "Operation Dirty Water." The case yielded five arrests, including one local woman, charges filed against an already incarcerated suspect and the seizure of meth and 20 weapons.

According to Judd, roughly 1,500 pounds of crystalized and liquid methamphetamine recovered by police was the largest volume of methamphetamine ever seized during a joint investigation involving the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

"Some people still call this low-level, non-violent drugs. These drug dealers have blood on their hands," Judd said. "They make money off the misery of others. They use violent means to enforce their trafficking business. We seized 20 firearms during the investigation, including rifles, shotguns, handguns and three stolen guns."

Judd continued: "Methamphetamine destroys lives, degrades communities and ruins families."

At the news conference, Judd was joined by Department of Homeland Security investigators from Tampa and Atlanta and representatives from the Haines City Police Department and multiple Georgia law enforcement agencies. The authorities outlined the investigation, which involved 16 different agencies, included drug trafficking from a Georgia prison and involved suspected links to the Juarez Mexican drug cartel.

One of those arrested in the investigation was Amber Cayson, of Winter Haven, who was charged with trafficking methamphetamine and five other drug charges, including possession and intent to sell Xanax and marijuana. Cayson, 37, is currently in the Polk County Jail with no bond. She has a criminal history including 16 felonies and 31 misdemeanors.

Also charged were: Brian Stanton, who is currently incarcerated in a U.S. penitentiary in Georgia; Jennifer Meers, of Stone Mountain, Georgia; Crescencio Ornelas-Loza, of Fairburn, Georgia; Luis Orenelas -Martinez, of Stockbridge, Georgia; and Isidoro Palacios, of College Park, Georgia.

According to authorities, the Polk County Sheriff's Office High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the Department of Homeland Security began the investigation this past January, initially intercepting a shipment of about 2,500 Xanax pills from Canada to Cayson's Winter Haven home. Cayson was arrested.

As the investigation progressed, detectives learned Stanton was coordinating the sale and delivery of methamphetamine in Polk County. Stanton, from within federal prison, then arranged with undercover detectives for the delivery of methamphetamine from Georgia to Polk County on multiple occasions. Meers delivered the drugs, authorities said.

Eventually, Meers was arrested by Sandy Springs (Georgia) Police on a warrant issued by the Polk County Sheriff's Office. Meers' arrest led investigators to the location of three methamphetamine conversion labs in Georgia, where authorities arrested the three other suspects and recovered 1,416 pounds of crystalized and liquid methamphetamine and several weapons.

According to a release, Homeland Security investigators have associated this illegal drug trafficking organization with the Juarez Mexican Cartel, a brutally violent group known for its targeted executions and violence.

"Through our partnership with Homeland Security and law enforcement agencies in Florida and Georgia, our detectives took a huge amount of meth off the street and shut down an active drug trafficker operating out of a federal prison," Judd said.