Biggest Drug Arrest Let's Hear Your Story

[TAYLOR INVESTIGATIONS]

Drug Bust On Duty Let's Here Your Story And Outcome No B.s

[N. A. Corbier]

Never busted anyone with drugs. I'm a security guard, not a cop.

Largest "bust" I had was not an actual bust, but was the systematic dismantling of a drug operation covering half of my property and two other properties, with multiple drug runners and dealers, some on property, some off property.

Working with Tampa Police, we systematically stopped every runner or dealer on our property - not for drugs, but to verify they lived on property and to enforce trespassing laws. When they were searched for their safety and ours, drugs were sometimes found, and they were then detained for posession and the QUAD squad called - not radio units.

Part of a security officer's job is to increase the quality of life on a residential property through the increase of security and reduction of crime. Drug use and sales decreases security, putting the lives of the tenants, and the property of the client, in danger. While getting a "big drug bust" is nice, the overall idea is to make it so unattractive to the bad guy to do business on or near the property that they pack up and move elsewhere - especially when the police cannot simply come on private property and roust the bad guys - they're not on public streets. BUT, the owner's agent CAN. With more latitude than a police officer.

The job of a police officer is the enforcement of law, and protection of society. The job of a security officer, unless otherwise defined in contract, is protection of client, tenant, and visitor's safety, and the property of the client, and vicariously the property of the tenant.

[N. A. Corbier]

You mean the Tampa police did, with you running along at their shirt-tails?
If you have a reading comprehension problem, please take appropriate courses. I suggest that whatever agenda you have be directed to something more worthwhile, perhaps back over on Officer.com.

You were not present, nor are you capable of rendering any informed opinion on the subject, not even being a resident of the state in question.

[SIW Editor]

EMTFirefighter, it's one thing to ask for more information, it's another to troll. Please refrain from any attacks. Our policy is to remove users who troll, flame or otherwise attack another poster. These forums were developed to improve communication inside our industry, and I think much of what occurs here is very useful. Let's keep the personal attacks toned down.

Geoff Kohl, editor
SecurityInfoWatch.com

[wannabedafiveoh]

I remember back in '89, I was walking my beat on the second floor, and I got a call from dispatch about some suspicious subjects out at the main entrance. It was a boring night, and I wanted something to do, so I ran to the squad (it was a SWEET '88 Crown Vic) and flew over to the entrance. Sure enough, these two 16 year old kids were dealing with about a half pound of pot. I hit the lights and put the spot light on them. They went running off and I started a foot pursuit. I called it in to dispatch, and they called the local police. It was great! I caught one and the cop got the other. I got to cuff the guy and everything! Man, I would give anything to have that kind of action again! :)

[Bill Warnock]

During the course of a physical survey, I interviewed some street people, after buying them a hot breakfast, they provided some valuable information concerning drug dealing in the early morning hours in and around the buildings. You don't supply meals in return for information. You supply the meals to folks in need and hope for the best. I relayed the information to the appropriate agency. They had heard only vague rumors. They went to work and as they say, the rest is history. The pen in this instance was mighter than the sword.
Enjoy the day,
Bill

[davido]

Never been arrested on Duty...... :D

I have found drugs that people have dropped, mostly all the BS I run into are wino's and Skaters, both pretty much in the same class neither one have jobs.

[N. A. Corbier]

Never been arrested on Duty...... :D

I have found drugs that people have dropped, mostly all the BS I run into are wino's and Skaters, both pretty much in the same class neither one have jobs.

You've never arrested/detained/whatever someone on duty, or nobody has ever arrested you on duty?

This implies you were arrested off the job, though.

Forum, does anyone know if Oklahoma has a state required background screening for security personnel? I still remember when a convicted felon (armed robbery) applied at my old employer. The State of Florida completely MISSED his conviction, yet a PI background check found it. The state revoked his firearms and security license when it was forwarded to them.

[N. A. Corbier]

No, it implies he was making a joke.

What is this "joke" concept you speak of? It is foreign to the internet.

[davido]

yes I was being funny;)

[Arff312]

That's pretty nice of you to call someone who engages in a recreational activity of their choosing a jobless wino. :rolleyes:

BTW not all skaters are jobless. Actually most have jobs and skate on their fre time. DAVIDO i feel bad for your employeer when you get hit with a lawsuit.

[CAPTAIN KOOLAID]

I was working a detail for best buy after hurricane katrina hit.
A white female subject wearing orange tank up and blue jean in her mid 20's walked past me. i noticed closely do fact it was very cold in the store and she wasn't wearing a bra she left her head lights on. As she walked past me and a sale person the subject got ten feet away and pulled left side of her jeans . When something feel out them try calling out to her but she keep walking. when i got half way there saw if was glass pipe with good amount of residue . I then pulled out my latex gloves and put them on. I picked up pipe and when to LP desk and called 911 the dispatcher informed me that be sometime before they can get a unit over there due to them having a high speed chase that started with a hit and run and the vehicle that was hit was on fire.
She then asked if i could detained her until a unit could be sent. I sure i then went manger and informed them what was going one and I try take suspect down outside or remote area of the store so it wouldn't make a scene. I saw suspect in geek squad line she was only customer in line I called the geek squad cashier told him once he is done ringing up the customer to leave right away.( unknown to me a manger when got off duty state trooper she knew) I made my move to detain her informed her she was being detain for possession of drug paraphernalia and the suspicion of having narcotic on your person. As i was cuffing her she was saying i didn't know security could detain. People before I could respond to her the state trooper walked up and said yes ma'am he can and is if you don't like it I'll do it and flashed he's badge. about 20 mins late the deputies for st tammany arrived. They search her belongs found (5) crack rocks in little baggy and 2 more pipes. later i found out later the strip searched her at jail and found 10 more rocks in her panties.

[Chucky]

Hmmm Not sure I understand what her having drugs or any item non deadly or dangerous to others has to do with your duties to protect the store or its asserts. I do understand if you called the cops and told them that you witnessed illegal paraphernalia drop form a customers clothing and then watch until they arrive. Then it would be a he said she said and who knows what would have happened. I personally see not security related crime here but different states have different rules and am probably wrong. Won't be the first time:)

[N. A. Corbier]

From what I've been told, here in Minnesota you can leave your post (and people do) to arrest people. Usually its restricted to crime against person, or things that started on property.

In Florida, of course, we all know what I'll say. Loss of license, possible criminal charges, etc for abandoning post while on duty AND for using force against someone other than to protect persons.

[Hank1]

There have been many, many times that we (CIS) and street crimes, TPD or Sheriff's Office have walked a housing community and make arrests and trespass undesirables. During these subject checks, we have found everything from marijuana, meth and crack to knives, guns and burglary tools. I have even been filmed by the crew from COPS during these " foot patrols" but I have never survived the cutting room floor (to my knowledge). As far as hanging on LEs shirt tails, I will tell you they call me on my personal cell phone when they want something to get into! Nathan, the instance you describe above has happened to me as well. You know "suitcase city" as well as I do.

Be safe,

Hank

[Minneapolis Security]

From what I've been told, here in Minnesota you can leave your post (and people do) to arrest people. Usually its restricted to crime against person, or things that started on property.

In Florida, of course, we all know what I'll say. Loss of license, possible criminal charges, etc for abandoning post while on duty AND for using force against someone other than to protect persons.

Minnesota has liberal citizens arrest laws (and lots of other liberal things).
I see it as a feature, not a flaw. (the liberal arrest laws, not the other things)

[N. A. Corbier]

Technically, in Florida, a non-licensed security person could chase a person they're authorized to arrest under common law to the state line.

Its only the problem of 493 that makes it illegal to abandon post. There is no abandoning post law for non-licensed personnel.

[Taktiq]

You've never arrested/detained/whatever someone on duty, or nobody has ever arrested you on duty?

This implies you were arrested off the job, though.

Forum, does anyone know if Oklahoma has a state required background screening for security personnel? I still remember when a convicted felon (armed robbery) applied at my old employer. The State of Florida completely MISSED his conviction, yet a PI background check found it. The state revoked his firearms and security license when it was forwarded to them.

Sort of? I just recall filling out a questionare for CLEET and answering questions such as, "Have you ever been hospitalized for mental illnesses" or "Been convicted...blah blah blah?". I answered no (honestly) and well...I have my card.

[craig333]

Not as a security, and i never actually busted anyone, but, I was involved with 700million dollar cocaine seizure when I was with CDF. It was late in the season when we got a call about a barn fire. It was pretty much a total loss (the nearest station had already closed for the season) when we arrived. While mopping up I kept seeing a lot of glassware of the labratory type. I get the engineer and he looks at it. We look around some outlying building and see some gallon jugs full of some kind of liquid.

Well the engineer calls in "we need an investigator" and it turns out he's "busy" he'll be out in a couple days. Failing to convince dispatch its important (and this was in 1984 pre cell phone days) we reluctantly leave the scene and drive to the nearest town and place a phone call. Back at the scene its not long before the sheriff shows up.

Theres a u-haul van at the scene. The officer opens it up and its stuffed full of cocaine. He casually mentions the property owner is a gun nut. Great.

Long story short, a couple illegals are arrested, the property owner is arrested but they never do get the people behind the operation (the property owner may or may not have known something was going but wasn't involved other than to rent out his barn) and no one serves time due to the illegal search, and the scene not being secure.

I'm very happy they panicked when the barn caught fire and didn't stick around.

[Bill Warnock]

Craig333 at least that "coke" didn't make it to the street. To the ringleaders, you were a pimple on the buttocks of their progress. I'm sure there was more where that came from. Best part of all, none of the good guys got hurt!
Enjoy the day,
Bill

[PartTimer]

I once detained a suspect on suspicion of shoplifting. When recovering the merchandise which was found tucked in his wasteband, I also found 1 oz. of marijuana right next to it. He was arrested for theft and the dope. So that’s my big "drug bust" story.

[craig333]

A pretty interesting thing happened long after the bust. A year later I was visited by some lawyers for one of the defendants. They interviewed me for about and hour and left. After they left I dug out my copy of the report I'd written for CDF and was pretty surprised to see I'd gotten a couple details wrong. I mean, I thought that was burned into my memory pretty well but I was wrong.

[EMTGuard]

I've never busted anyone with drugs at my site but about once every 2 months or so I'll have an employee who refuses a drug screen because he know's he'll come up "hot" on my triage test. It's pretty easy to tell when I have one who is a druggie since I will hand them the sample cup and they will say something like "I can't pee right now. I just peeded a little while ago. Blah blah blah...".
They can refuse the test but doing so is about equal to self termination. They go home and get to see human resources the next day.

[SecTrainer]

6 kilos of coke, but I didn't actually find it or make the bust. I was following an out-of-state camper at about 1 AM on a county road when he swerved over the solid yellow line for a second time. I lit him up and was running wants when the backup unit arrived. This just happened to be a state drug K-9 unit and the dog alerted on the rear right wheel well. I think they said that 6 kilos is about 250 to 300,000 lines of coke.

[craig333]

6 kilos of coke, but I didn't actually find it or make the bust. I was following an out-of-state camper at about 1 AM on a county road when he swerved over the solid yellow line for a second time. I lit him up and was running wants when the backup unit arrived. This just happened to be a state drug K-9 unit and the dog alerted on the rear right wheel well. I think they said that 6 kilos is about 250 to 300,000 lines of coke.

Funny how the value changes depending. That 700million figure was "street value" but wholesale was supposedly closer to 30million. Who knows.

[Bill Warnock]

Funny how the value changes depending. That 700million figure was "street value" but wholesale was supposedly closer to 30million. Who knows.
SecTrainer was not referring to a street value but the amount of lines that can be cut up into lines to be inhaled through a straw or rolled up paper currency, hence the name "nose candy."
Enjoy the day,
Bill

[Lawson]

Once I told an employee he cant take his cigarettes out of the pack until he gets outside. That was my big drug bust.

[SecTrainer]

Funny how the value changes depending. That 700million figure was "street value" but wholesale was supposedly closer to 30million. Who knows.

Not sure what this is referencing? I don't remember if I actually heard a street value in my case - probably did, but I've forgotten. Anyway, I was talking about the total number of "lines", which would be equivalent to a "hit", of coke that were seized.

[craig333]

Lines is an interesting way to measure it. Not too accurate though. A casual user might get many lines from a bag, where a heavy user makes one big one. I wasn't referencing anything specific, just making a casual observation.

[locknid]

me personally I have somewhere between 40-50 drug arrests over the last 3 years for everything from marijuana to meth, probably half for sales/intent to distribute cases. For some reason I have yet to find any heroin...does it count if some dude tried to stab me with a syringe filled with heroin? haha. Most dollar amounts are unknown but it feels good when you bust a guy with a whole bunch of cocaine already individually packaged and just as a kicker a gun too. Makes me smile to get a POS off the street. Biggest though was probably busting a mexican fake id/meth selling operation. I have worked with a couple PHX pd special task forces/teams at some high risk properties and that is always fun.

oh and its not hanging on to their shirt tails when after working with us for the first time QRT was able to double their arrests over doing the same thing alone. I still have undercovers coming to visit me asking for information. fun to be treated as an equal.

[JB diligence]

About 10 years ago at a large bus terminal, a baggage handler found 2-3 suitcases (the big ones) rather light so he called us. My self and a couple other S/O's arrived and called the local PD, suitcases were full with cartons of contraband cigarettes. The bad guy couldn't speak English (I think we were all calling BS on that) so I asked around the fast food joint in the terminal if any of the employees could speak his dialect as we had an idea of his nationality (we probably had one from each Asian country in the place), worked like a charm. :cool:

[ValleyOne]

Didn't happen to me, but is one of my favorite stories;

A State Trooper was sitting the office of the Sheriff's Dept (after booking) beaming with the 5 pounds of Marijuana and some meth he pulled of a traffic stop. A few other deputies were around congratulating him on the great job. A newly hired Deputy walks in and listens to the story retold for the 20th time and shrugs and says; "Eh that ain't too bad."

This gets the Trooper's goat and he shoots back, "Oh Ya a$$hole? Well what's the most marijuana you've ever taken out of a vehicle?"

"15 tons."

"WTF!!! THERE IS NO POSSIBLE WAY TO STORE THAT MUCH DOPE IN A VEHICLE!!!"

"Well, I am in the Coast Guard Reserve as a LtCmdr so...."

Had us in tears:D

[Bill Warnock]

ValleyOne, that was precious!
Enjoy the day,
Bill

[jeff194307]

The ciggaret story reminded me of the time that I was in the process of evicting a gentleman from mall property for a complaint of reckless driving. As I was talking to this jerk, I noticed that there were about three or four cases of cigs in the back seat of his car. I called in the sheriff and lo and behold, the cigs were part of a boxcar load that had been stolen from the railroad.

[Chucky]

6 kilograms = 6 000 grams @ $100.00 per gram uncut = $60.000. For a normal street cut would be ¼ gram of anasatol to 1Gram pure ratio = aprox $15.000 per kilo for basically baby laxative. Won’t bore you with why anasatol. By the time it hit’s the streets an ounce would be purchased for $1,800 and sold for $2,800
The drug kit will tell you positive or negative for Coca but just for conversation sakes to tell the level of the dealer you will take a 6 oz glass of bleach and dump is a sniffer spoon full and watch. The pure coke will slowly sink to the bottom whereas the cut will swirl aprox ¼ way down the glass and stay suspended in the glass. If all goes to the bottom then you have it before any lower level people were able to get to it and you have taken down high level mules.

The two most prevalent forms are from South America.
Colombian Rock (not crack) and from Peru Peruvian Flake. Although flake is most preferred rock is most often confiscated in the U.S.. Most likely the easiest to smuggle into the U.S. due to geographic location. My figures are from the 80s and most likely have fluctuated as power coke as been pushed out of the forefront buy Crystal Meth and sadly to say a rising demand for Heroin.

Some of you Tampa bay area guys might remember the freighter that was full of expensive Mahogany planks hollowed out stuffed with coke then the holes were covered and refinished. Mr Takalis owner of freighter Amazon Sky and very well known Steve Irvin Crock hunter of the 70s and 80s was sent to Federal prison and the key thrown away. He would have gotten away with this shipment had an informant not dropped a dime on his operation. At the time it was the largest bust in the U.S. I was at the storage site where the planks were disassembled in Tarpon Springs and was in total awe at the amount of machine guns present in the hands of Federal agents.

Quote Time Magazine http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,157350,00.html

"When U.S. agents do uncover a shipment, the cartel adopts new shippers, different routes and more ingenious deceptions. Federal agents took nine years to crack a Santacruz-designed lumber scheme. In 1979, a Cali operative was arrested with the name of a Baltimore lumberyard in his pocket. There, agents saw piles of mahogany boards sliced end to end, with pockets hollowed out and the tops veneered on. A few more clues popped up over the years, but nothing to pinpoint which planks, among the tons of lumber imported from South America, contained contraband.

Then in April 1988, a load of Brazilian cedar boards arrived in Tarpon Springs, Fla., aboard the freighter Amazon Sky. DEA alerted Tampa Customs that an informer had reported drugs were aboard. Inspectors drilled holes in stacks of lumber planks, but found nothing. At the last moment, a Customs man saw a crew member drop a plank and glance about nervously. The inspector drilled into the board and hit white powder. The seizure was a record 3,270 kg of cocaine, but just 700 of the 9,000 planks held any drugs." Life is all about the bottom line. And the bottom line is guys like him and DeLorean should never have gotten involved in something they no nothing about.

[HospitalOfc.]

My best was something that I was only indirectly involved in. An investigation that I headed up into an employee who was stealing equipment and morphine out of patient’s IV pumps led to his arrest with a small quantity of morphine and a baggie of marijuana. When he was questioned by us and the police he gave up a good deal of information in an attempt to save himself.

This information led to 20-30 arrests and the seizure of a large amount of ecstasy, cocaine, meth, marijuana, and illegal weapons from a number of different residences. One of those arrested even ended up being tied to a murder in Gary Indiana.

I can’t remember exactly the number of arrests that ended being made on the information he gave up, but I was able to dig up a newspaper story on one of them.

http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2006/03/07/news/00lead.txt

Other than that I have worked with the local drug and gang investigators to break up distribution networks in rental and HUD housing units owned by the Hospital. None of these ever netted a large amount of drugs, but they did lead to a number of arrests and the removal of some bad elements from our property.