MIAMI-DADE, Fla. – As drug overdoses skyrocket, the law enforcement community nationwide is under pressure to target heroin and the synthetic opioids that dealers are lacing it with.
The most popular and deadly drugs used to lace heroin are carfetanil, used to sedate elephants, and the less powerful fentanyl, a narcotic more powerful than morphine.
"We are trying to get it off the streets, and we are trying keep it off the streets," said Miami-Dade Lt. Juan Villalba, Jr.
For their "Operation Dragon Slayer," the Miami-Dade Police Department worked with U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and United States Postal inspectors on an investigation.
With the help of the SWAT team, narcotics detectives conducted three raids on Thursday. The first was at 16730 SW 99 Ave., near West Perrine. The second was at 22210 SW 116 Ave., in the Goulds neighborhood, and the third was a few blocks away at 22325 SW 117 Ct.
Miami-Dade narcotics detectives arrested 17 suspects -- three women, 13 men and a 49-year-old man who was driving without a valid driver's license. They didn't find any drugs on him.
During the raids, detectives found what they suspected to be heroin laced with a synthetic drug, a pink handgun and a rifle.
Among the group of suspects were William Arthur Smith, 76, and Omega Dupont, 45, who was arrested two weeks ago and has a record that includes eight drug-related arrests over the last decade.
The list of related arrests:
