Three dozen arrested in drug sweep

PORT CHARLOTTE — Charlotte County deputies arrested more than three-dozen people as part of an operation targeting the drug trade.

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office issued a news release Thursday announcing 37 arrests as part of Operation Deal Breaker.

Authorities said about 630 grams of methamphetamine were seized as a result of the operation, along with almost 65 grams of fentanyl.

Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell praised the CCSO Narcotics Unit for spearheading the work.

“It is a sad thing to see so many affected by this lifestyle, but I cannot sit back and hope it magically gets better,” he stated in the news release.

Of the 37 suspects arrested, 20 of those cases are said to have involved “trafficking amounts” of fentanyl or methamphetamine.

If convicted, suspects in those cases face minimum sentences that can run from three to 25 years.

Authorities also alleged that 58 grams of cocaine and 23 grams of opiates were seized as a result of the operation.