Two men are in prison and 20 pounds of pure crystal meth are off the streets following a joint investigation involving the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the DEA.
Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook says this all began with an investigation into a drug trafficking organization with ties to Clay County in July 2019, which investigators say was being operated by a man they identify as Nicholas Maddox.
Over the course of the investigation, she says the DEA got a federal search warrant for Maddox’s home, where they say they found and seized over 14 pounds of crystal meth and about $32,000. Since this investigation, Maddox has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of federal probation for distribution of 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine.
The sheriff’s office says this investigation led to another investigation into another man, Keith Williams, who they say was being supplied meth by Maddox. Williams has since been sentenced to 5 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of federal probation for possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
“We know that drug trafficking breeds violence and we will not tolerate drug trafficking, nor drug trafficking in Clay County,” says Cook.
The Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Jacksonville district office, Mike Dubet, says the drugs seized were not made locally.
“In this case, law enforcement joined forces in order to dismantle this local drug trafficking organization with direct ties to Mexico-based Sinaloa cartel. The meth issue has and continues to plague our Northeast Florida communities. These two individuals... were directly responsible for filling our streets with poison and the violence that comes with it,” says Dubet.
Dubet says there were clear indicators that the drugs came from outside of Clay County.
“This particular meth seizure was 98% pure crystal meth. That right there, in itself, is an indicator that this was produced in Mexico in the super labs. The days of people cooking up meth, like ‘Breaking Bad’ days, in their trailers or something are over. These are huge labs that the Mexico cartels are using and mass producing very pure meth. So, that’s one indicator-- the purity level,” says Dubet.
Dubet says the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the price of meth, so the street value of 20 pounds of pure crystal meth is currently about $600,000.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office currently has 135 active drug cases right now, according to Cook.
WATCH: Clay County Sheriff’s Office and DEA hold press conference
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October 28, 2020 at 04:27AM
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