Weekend Bust Nets 135 Arrests, $400K In Drugs

Seventeen agencies across five parishes seized more than $400,000 in drugs over the weekend, including 8 pounds of cocaine and 33 grams of meth.

Scott Police Chief Chad Leger said the operation known as "A Clean Streets Project" also netted 135 arrests, 165 citations and tens of thousands of dollars in cash, property and firearms through traffic stops in the Acadiana area.

"The message that you should get from this is if you have drugs in your car and go around the state of Louisiana, we're gonna find it, we're gonna arrest you, and we're gonna seize it," said Capt. Becket Breaux with Louisiana State Police Troop I.

The participating agencies held a press conference Tuesday morning to detail the joint effort that involved 20-25 officers and ran from May 14-17. It's the fourth operation of this caliber since May 2013.

Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Mary, Acadia and Iberia Parishes were part of the operation, along with Louisiana State Police, the Louisiana Department of Probation and Parole and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

"We're sort of a toolbox that state and locals put together, and certainly we provide the best support we can — from immigration to narcotics smuggling — at the federal level," said U.S. Department of Security Agent E. J. Chong. "We provide all assets available to us to our departments if they need."

The last bust in late January involved 251 arrests, 179 citations and around $97,000 in recovered narcotics.

Leger said because of the successes of these multi-agency operations, the coordinated efforts will press forward.

"We're gonna have a zero tolerance, and we're not gonna tolerate drugs on our streets," Leger said, "and we're gonna stand together to make it right."

By the numbers:

• 165 citations
• 135 arrests
• 3 search warrants were executed
• 4 handguns were seized
• $402,064.50 in drugs were seized (street value)
• $54,615 in property were seized, which included $52,069 seized in Broussard
• $24,151 in stolen property was seized, including one truck and one handgun
• 9.9 grams of crack cocaine were seized ($1,237.50)
• 518 grams of marijuana were seized ($10,360)
• 150 prescription pills were seized ($1,500)
• 33.9 grams of methamphetamine was seized ($6,780)
• 8.4 pounds of cocaine was seized by Louisiana State Police ($381,567)
• 31 grams of synthetic marijuana was seized ($620)
• 1 gram of heroin was seized ($400)