St. Petersburg police arrested two people after conducting one of the largest narcotics busts in two decades, according to officials.
On August 7, the St. Petersburg Police Department carried out multiple search warrants, including one at a home on 29th Street North dubbed “the warehouse.” They stated that some of the substances distributed from it resembled cookie dough.
“Only suppliers were allowed to pick up the narcotics in the warehouse,” St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway stated. “From there the suppliers then distributed their narcotics to the street-level drug dealers.”
St. Petersburg police Chief Anthony Holloway stated that during the search, nicknamed “Operation Cookie Dough,” officers confiscated:
- 10.7 kg of Fentanyl
- 10.6 kg of powder cocaine
- 10.2 ounces of oxycodone
- 11 pounds of marijuana
- A half million dollars
- Three handguns or weapons
“I want to also thank Mr. Watson for the cash because once we get that cleared through our city, we be able to take the cash that we received from him and put it to good use instead of what he was using it for, for illegal gain,” stated Holloway.
The St. Petersburg Police Department was able to apprehend two suspects and is presently searching for one with the assistance of FDLE and residents.
David Lee Watson, 36, is charged with felon in possession of a handgun, cocaine, and fentanyl trafficking, money laundering, and structuring transactions to escape reporting requirements.
Kelvin Maysonet, 34, was booked into the Orange County Jail on accusations of operating a drug house, trafficking cocaine, trafficking amphetamines and possessing marijuana with intent to sell.
Jennifer Scudder-Berry, a neighbor, was astonished to learn that a big drug operation was going place just doors down from her and her family of five.
“I’d rather be the person that has my kid be able to knock on your door for Halloween… oh my gosh that just gave me the chills,” she stated. “Halloween is just around the corner, and what if they knocked on their door? “What would they have received?”
One of her main concerns is that Alexander Graham, 34, remains a wanted suspect.
“How does it move in and out? What do they bring it in with? They were quite silent,” said Scudder-Berry. “I guess it’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for.”
According to St. Pete Police, a citizen alerted them and reminded the community to report suspicious activity.
“We’ve got Narcan. My 21-year-old daughter, who works at the beach, carries Narcan with her. I carry it for me. I have it in our car, and it is not for us; it is just in case,” Scudder-Berry explained. “So we know that it’s a very serious epidemic and having it right down the street from us, I feel so blind.”
“Operation Cookie Dough” was a nine-month investigation supported by FDLE S.A.F.E. (State Assistance for Fentanyl Eradication) funding.