49 Arrested in Florida Operation Targeting Drug Trafficking Network, Officials Say

A statewide operation in Florida resulted in the arrests of 49 people after an investigation into drug trafficking organizations accused of distributing narcotics, said Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Thursday.

An investigation called “Operation Ice Breaker II” started in 2025 and ended in late June as officials executed search warrants across multiple central Florida counties, his office said.

Officials used court-authorized trap-and-trace orders and wiretaps on several telephones while officials also carried out physical surveillance of alleged drug traffickers and used “controlled purchases” in Volusia, Flagler, Saint Johns, Marion, and Orange counties, said a news release issued by the state attorney general’s office.

In the investigation, officials discovered “mid- to upper-level distribution networks” of drugs such as fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and other controlled substances, Uthmeier’s office said.

Search warrants were executed on or around June 30, the release said. Narcotics, currency, digital scales with drug residue, and other evidence were also recovered.

The 49 arrests were conducted by the Daytona Beach Police Department and Volusia County Sheriff’s Office as part the operation, it added.

“This joint investigation dismantled a criminal organization that pumped deadly fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into Florida communities,” 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.”

Three defendants were specifically singled out by Uthmeier’s office in the press release: Vetrick Maurice Shavers Jr., who was was charged with conspiracy to traffic in fentanyl, and two counts of trafficking in fentanyl; Richard Gene Hocker III, who charged with conspiracy to traffic in fentanyl, 28 grams or more, trafficking in fentanyl, and trafficking in methamphetamine; and Antonio Bejon Lee, who was charged with three counts of trafficking in fentanyl, 28 grams or more, additional counts of trafficking in fentanyl, four grams or more, and conspiracy to traffic in fentanyl.

It’s unclear whether Shavers, Hocker, or Lee have legal representation who can speak on their behalf.

The 46 other defendants face counts including drug trafficking, conspiracy, delivery, possession with the intent to sell or deliver, firearm offenses by dangerous felons, and more, according to the attorney general’s office.

Earlier this month, federal officials announced that 38 federal and eight state defendants were charged in connection to a firearms and drug trafficking ring in South Florida.

Officials also seized 94 firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and 20 pounds of narcotics, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine, and more.

That sting, dubbed “Operation Hurricane,” was led by the Miami office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, according to the Department of Justice.