TAMPA, Fla. - Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement (DEA), Miami Field Division, and Robert E. O'Neill, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, announces today the unsealing of a federal indictment charging 14 individuals with conspiring to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana. Law enforcement teams in Florida, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi made the arrests earlier today in this joint law enforcement investigation, dubbed Operation Wooly Swamp. If convicted, each individual faces a maximum penalty of 10 years, up to life in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force 2), Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement'(ICE) Homeland Security (HSI), Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, and the Clearwater Police Department.
OPERATION WOOLY SWAMP -
Charge: Conspiracy to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana
Maximum Penalty: 10 years, up to life in federal prison
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
