ORLANDO — Residents living near an intersection on Semoran Boulevard say it’s no secret there are drug deals going on in their part of town.

After four months of investigations, deputies have arrested 39 people Wednesday in what is being called Operation Old Cheney, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

The narcotics unit finalized the investigation between Old Cheney Highway and Semoran Boulevard after numerous calls were made by area businesses. Nearby residents complained about drug deals and suspicious behavior taking place around their work.

Officials said that the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit and DEA worked to build a case against suspects living at four residences for buying and selling drugs based on the tips they received.

“I’ve had a couple times where people have pulled into the lot and they’re not customers, » said Chad Gibson, who is a local mechanic. « They have no reason to be here. »

Gibson lives and works off of Old Cheney Highway. He said he is fed up with what he describes as an area plagued with drugs.

“[It] makes it a problem for us hard working people that are trying to make an honest living, » Gibson said.

Investigators conducted search warrants at four homes. Fifty-eight warrants were served and 39 suspects were arrested.

“We didn’t get all of the subjects that we wanted, we’ve got probably 80 percent of them, » said Mike Rosier with the OCSO narcotics unit. « We’re still looking for more, so we do have outstanding warrants that we are looking for at this time.”

Officers said they will continue to canvass the streets.

“It is just getting worse and worse, » Gibson said.

But, the state of Florida has made great progress overall in the war on drugs due to tougher laws being passed, according to the DEA.

“The pill mill situation, while it still exists, isn’t nearly as expansive as it was four to five years ago, » said Jeffrey Walsh with the DEA of Central Florida Operations.

Walsh said law enforcement is now seeing the results from years of undercover operations and investigations.

“Because of the show of force and the amount of arrests that they made, hopefully that will deter others from coming in this area, » Gibson said.

The DEA told News 13 the biggest challenge they face right now in drug trafficking is when dealers transport drugs across state lines.

source: http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2015/6/12/operation_cheney_net.html

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