FHP Truck Inspection Blitz Targeted Illegal Drugs In Commercial Vehicles
Today the Florida Highway Patrol released the results of a weeklong truck inspection campaign designed to target transporters of illegal drugs, resulting in numerous arrests and drug seizures.
FHP conducted “Operation Ground Up” in the Fort Meyers area with help from the DEA, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. Operation Ground Up was the culmination of an FHP training initiative called the “Commercial Motor Vehicle Drug Interdiction Assistance Program” designed to teach law enforcement officers how to “detect and apprehend transporters and/or users of illicit contraband engaged in commercial vehicle operations on Florida’s roadways.”
During the weeklong operation, FHP and supporting officers stopped 327 commercial vehicles. They performed 100 truck inspections and issued 100 citations.
Officers also seized numerous types of contraband from the trucks, including:
- 6.8 grams of crack cocaine
- 7.2 grams of heroin
- 73 grams of bath salts
- 422 grams of marijuana
- 13 doses of OxyContin
- 7 doses of Adderall
- 1 dose of Clonazepam
This is the first year that FHP has conducted the Operation Ground Up truck enforcement campaign.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi remarked, “This well-executed operation seized massive quantities of dangerous drugs before they could be sold on our streets and poison our citizens. Our nation is battling a national opioid epidemic, and I want to thank FHP, FDLE, DEA and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office for this coordinated effort to stop the influx of deadly drugs into Florida.”