6 Pounds Of Meth & Fentanyl Seized, 12 Arrests Made In Indian River County

The Indian River County Sheriff's Office is sharing details about "Operation Knockdown," an initiative that resulted in the arrests of 12 suspects and the seizure of large amounts of meth, fentanyl and cocaine.

Sheriff Eric Flowers says that all happened in the last six months of 2023.

“These are local people. These guys that are on this list, when I tell you that I’ve been chasing them my whole career, these guys were crack cocaine peddlers when I started, then they started peddling pills and now they’re peddling this fentanyl.”

One suspect is still on the run. The sheriff tells CBS 12 News that Paul Bryant is wanted on drug trafficking charges. Though the suspects may be local, Flowers says the drugs came into the country through the southern border. Many of them are stamped from Mexico.

“Every bit of this fentanyl that we get is coming across the Mexican border. I’m glad the feds are serious about this. I wish they’d be serious about not letting it come across the border, but they’re serious about prosecuting this fentanyl and we’re going to take advantage of that wind at our backs right now.”

He says that two of the dozen suspects are being charged in the overdose deaths of people to whom they sold fentanyl.

Deputies are still looking for one suspect and the sheriff says more drug busts are on the way.