The FBI has arrested 15 prison guards on charges ranging from bribery to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Eleven of the guards that were arrested worked for the Department of Corrections. The other four were employed by a private company. The raid continues the state of Florida’s efforts to crack down on the drug problem in its jails. In 2009 drug dogs found 700 grams of cocaine, 3,800 grams of marijuana and heroin while searching prison grounds, housing and parking lots.
All the arrested prison guards face federal drug charges. Three of the guards worked for the DOC for 30 years and four others had 25 years of service with the department of corrections. According to TBO.com the 11 state employed guards were all fired following their arrests. The investigation had been going on for over two years and was a joint effort by numerous law enforcement agencies.

TampaBay.com is reporting that Anthony Giancola has been arrested for violating his probation, prowling and loitering in St. Petersburg. Giancola was on probation after he attempted to buy crack cocaine from an undercover cop in his Hillsborough County middle school office while a principal at Van Buren Middle School. He has been on probation since June of 2007.
The latest arrest for the former Tampa teacher came at 3:00 a.m. Saturday morning when Giancola was discovered in a parked car waiting for a man named “Mike”. Police noticed the man trying to hide something with his foot. When they investigated further the police found a butcher knife on the floor. Giancola claimed the knife was used for work as a chef. He was booked into Pinellas County jail.

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Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath’s 19-year-old daughter has been arrested in Florida on drug charges. Olivia Namath was charged with possession of marijuana, possession with intent to sell and possession of liquor by a person under the age of 21. She has been released from a Palm Beach County jail on bail.
According to the sheriff’s department, Namath was involved in a traffic stop Sunday in Jupiter, Florida. Deputies say they smelled marijuana. At that point they searched the car and found marijuana in the trunk and on the floor boards. There was also beer and rum in the vehicle.

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A six-month investigation into drug sales at six Pinellas County strip clubs culminated in 23 arrests Tuesday. “Operation Adult Use” was an undercover operation that involved narcotics detectives with the Pinellas County sheriff’s office. The operation netted dancers, employees and customers. According to the St. Pete Times they are accused of selling cocaine, anxiety drugs and painkillers.
According to the police most of the drugs being sold were prescription drugs, mainly oxycodone and roxycodone. The clubs that were the focus of the operation were Bliss Cabaret, Oz Ladies and Gentleman’s Club, Baby Dolls, Diamond Dolls, Gold Club and Badda Bling Gentleman’s Club. The investigation is still ongoing.
If you have been charged with a drug crime in St. Petersburg or Pinellas County and need agressive legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact St. Petersburg Criminal Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourPinellasArrest.com. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping our Clearwater office located at 4500 140th Ave. N Suite #203.

Pernell Brown committed what seems to be a minor traffic infraction but it led to big-time charges according to a story published on TBO.com. Police officers attempted to pull Brown over for making a turn without a signal but the 24-year-old Tampa man decided to flee after being pulled over. It seems police officers found out why when they eventually stopped Brown.
Brown’s car was searched and officers found cocaine on the Tampa man and marijuana in the car. The incident began when Brown failed to signal his turn from Kay Street to Nebraska Avenue just before midnight. He stopped for the officer but then fled when the police exited the cruiser. When they finally stopped him the drugs were discovered. Brown was charged with trafficking in cocaine, conspiracy to commit racketeering, fleeing and eluding police, possession of cocaine and other charges.
If you have been charged with a drug crime in Tampa or Hillsborough County and need agressive legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourDrugCrime.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by stopping in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Three months worth of undercover work by Manatee County drug investigators netted 30 arrests of what police described as street-level dealers according to an article in the Sarasota Herald Tribune. Of the 53 arrest warrants issued, all but 20 were served over the weekend.
Officials seized cash and drugs during the operation. Police say they seized 140 grams of cocaine, 37 prescription pills and close to $2,000 in cash. The dealers allegedly sold drugs in mostly minority neighborhoods and were targeted originally for dealing crack cocaine and marijuana among other drugs.
If you have been charged with a drug crime in Bradenton, Sarasota or Manatee County and are in need of aggressive legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact Criminal Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at FightYourDrugCrime.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our Sarasota offices located at 200 N. Washington Blvd.

A Sarasota County judge didn’t buy into the ruse used by a couple of sheriff’s deputies who gained entry into a Sarasota home by telling the homeowner they were with the Florida Department of Children and Families. The Sarasota County sheriff’s deputies suspected Matthew Kennedy was operating a marijuana grow house but they didn’t have enough proof to get a search warrant so they found another way to get into the home as reported by Todd Ruger of the Sarasota Herald Tribune.
The judge ruled that the deputies told Kennedy that they had legal authority to enter his home, which took away his right to consent to a search. Because of the illegal search and seizure the judge threw out all the illegally gained evidence which included drug paraphernalia and 36 marijuana plants. Kennedy is still charged with felony cultivation of marijuana but the charges will be hard to prove without the iullegaly obtained evidence.
If you have been charged with a drug crime in Bradenton, Sarasota or Manatee County and are in need of aggressive legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact Criminal Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) or online at FightYourDrugCrime.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our Sarasota offices located at 200 N. Washington Blvd.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office stopped a Ford Explorer due to what they say was a loud exhaust but when they approached the vehicle they discovered there was more smoke than what was coming from the muffler. The website TBO.com is reporting that the driver admitted to driving under the influence of marijuana, which he smoked while driving with his two-week-old baby in the car.
The smell of marijuana led to a search of the car where deputies found a bag of marijuana in possession of the car’s passenger and six hyrocodone pills as well. The driver and passenger had two other people with them in the backseat on top of their baby daughter. The couple was charged with possession of marijuana and child abuse. The child’s mother was additionally charged with possession of a controlled substance.
If you have been charged with a drug crime in Tampa or Hillsborough County and need qualified legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourDrugCrime.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by stopping in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office detention deputy Michael Broman is facing drug charges and being held in Pinellas County jail according to a story on TampaBay.com. The 42-year-old Broman’s arrest at the jail was the culmination of an investigation that began in August when detectives received a tip about suspicious activity involving prescription drugs and Broman.
Broman has been charged with trafficking in a controlled substance, obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and doctor shopping. He was allegedly receiving oxycodone from more than one doctor and was using a fraudulent prescription. Broman has been placed on paid leave while an investigation is conducted.
If you have been charged with a drug crime in St. Petersburg, Clearwater or Pinellas County please do not hesitate to contact Criminal Defense Attorney Stephen Higgins at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourDrugCrime.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by stopping in our Clearwater office located at 4500 140th Ave. North #203.

Acting on a tip, Clearwater police discovered 149 marijuana plants growing at the home of John Haring. The Byram Drive resident was charged with cultivation of marijuana following a search of his home, which a story on TampaBay.com says Haring consented to.
The plants were discovered in a large utility shed and upon their discovery Haring was placed under arrest. The story also says that the same man was arrested at this same address for cultivation of marijuana in 2007. There were no further details on what became of Haring after his 2007 arrest.
If you have been charged with a drug crime in St. Petersburg, Clearwater or Pinellas County please do not hesitate to contact Criminal Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourDrugCrime.com. Also you can contact Stephen via email or by stopping in our Clearwater office located at 4500 140th Ave. North #203.