ST PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Pete Police arrest a man connected to a major drug operation in St. Peterburg. St. Pete Police Chief Anthony Holloway called the bust the largest in 20 years in the city of St. Petersburg.
According to SPPD, they had been investigating the drug operation for the last nine months. Through the investigation, they were able to find that David Watson, 36, was leading the operation in the City of St. Pete.
"This is not just another drug arrest. With the assistance of the FDLE and the State Attorney's Office, we were able to dismantle this drug operation and have a huge impact on the health and safety of our residents," said Chief Holloway.
Police say they executed several search warrants on Aug. 7, including a house, 3101 29th Street North, that Chief Holloway called "the warehouse." At the house, only suppliers were able to get into the home, and they would then allegedly distribute to dealers.
In the search, police found various illegal drugs, including 10.6 kilos of powder cocaine and 10.7 kilos of Fentanyl with a street value of over $330,000.
They also seized $506,000 in cash, which Chief Holloway said, once cleared, they would be able to use in the city.
"I also want to thank Mr. Watson for the cash because once we get that cleared through our city, we'll be able to take this cash that we seized from him and put it to good use instead of what he was doing for illegal gain," Chief Holloway said.
Watson was arrested on mulitple felonies including trafficking in cocaine, trafficking in fentanyl, money laundering, and structuring transactions to evade reporting.
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