Nearly 50 people are behind bars following a multi-agency law enforcement operation targeting drug trafficking networks across central Florida, state and local officials announced.
The investigation, which ran from the fall of 2025 through late June 2026, focused on mid- to upper-level distribution rings operating in Volusia, Flagler, Saint Johns, Marion, and Orange counties. Investigators targeted networks trafficking fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and other controlled substances.
Law enforcement agencies used wire intercepts, court-authorized phone tracking, physical surveillance, and controlled buy operations during the months-long probe. Search warrants executed around June 30 led to the recovery of narcotics, cash, cellular phones, digital scales with drug residue, and cutting agents.
In total, 49 defendants were taken into custody by the Daytona Beach Police Department and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
“This joint investigation dismantled a criminal organization that pumped deadly fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into Florida communities,” Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a statement. “Through the tireless work of Florida’s law enforcement, state attorneys, and our statewide prosecutors, we have arrested 49 traffickers and disrupted these networks.”
Primary suspects facing leadership-level charges include Vetrick Maurice Shavers Jr., Richard Gene Hocker III, and Antonio Bejon Lee.
Shavers faces charges including conspiracy to traffic fentanyl in amounts of 14 grams or more, which carries a 20-year mandatory minimum prison sentence and a $100,000 fine. Hocker is charged with conspiracy to traffic 28 grams or more of fentanyl, which comes with a 25-year mandatory minimum sentence and a $500,000 fine, alongside additional fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking counts. Lee faces three separate counts of trafficking 28 grams or more of fentanyl, each carrying a 25-year mandatory minimum sentence and $500,000 fine, as well as conspiracy charges.
Dozens of other defendants face charges including drug trafficking, conspiracy, possession with intent to sell, unlawful use of two-way communication devices, and firearm offenses by dangerous felons.
“Drug traffickers flood our communities with deadly substances,” said State Attorney R.J. Larizza of Florida’s Seventh Judicial Circuit. “The drug trade fosters addiction, crime and death. Entire communities are threatened by the flow of drugs into their homes and neighborhoods. Exposing, prosecuting and eradicating the drug trafficking organizations is critical to making our communities better and safer.”
The case involved joint work by the Daytona Beach Police Department Special Investigations Unit, the Volusia Bureau of Investigation, the Office of Statewide Prosecution, and the State Attorney’s Office for the Seventh Judicial Circuit, alongside other regional partners.
“Operation Ice Breaker II is a testament to the relentless work of our detectives and the strength of our partnerships,” Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said. “Drug trafficking fuels violence, addiction, and other crimes that impact the quality of life in our community.”
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood praised the multi-agency coordination, noting that “Volusia County is better off today with another set of scumbag drug dealers locked up. Behind bars, they’re no longer merchants of death in our community.”
The Office of Statewide Prosecution will prosecute the cases alongside the Seventh Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office. Authorities indicated the investigation remains active and additional arrests or charges are expected.
READ: Two Boats Collide Off Hernando Beach Coast; One Person Injured
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
