Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight announced Thursday the results of one of the biggest methamphetamine busts in county history.
Knight called Operation Night Train "one of the largest methamphetamine seizures to date."
"This operation not only took drugs and weapons off the street but it also disrupted one of the most significant distribution networks in Sarasota County," Knight said in a news release.
Sheriff's deputies arrested five people in Operation Night Train.
Brian Tharp, 43, is charged with trafficking meth and possession of alprazolam. He remains in custody on $501,500 bond with additional charges pending.
"Detectives launched the investigation in October 2017 when they 43-year-old Brian Tharp with obtaining and distributing large amounts of meth," Knight said during a news conference Thursday. "For the next six months, detectives will work to identify Tharp's associates and others who may be involved within his network."
On May 19, the sheriff's office executed a search warrant on Tharp's home in Venice. They seized about 8.49 pounds of meth, about 1 pound of marijuana, $163,000 in cash, 67 prescription pills and a semiautomatic handgun.
Tharp's 25-year-old girlfriend, Carley Poettker, is charged with trafficking meth. She is in custody on $500,000 bond.
The three other people charged were released, according to the sheriff's office.
Gary McLeod, 53, is charged with trafficking in meth. Deputies conducted a traffic stop on Feb. 11, when they found about 24 grams of meth hidden in McLeod's shoe. McLeod agreed to let deputies search him when they saw drug paraphernalia in his vehicle.
Dylan Woodward, 26, is charged with trafficking meth and possession of a controlled substance. Someone tipped off detectives that Woodward was selling drugs out of his hotel room in North Port. Detectives executed a search warrant on March 15. They found 0.37 pounds of meth, oxycodone pills, various drug paraphernalia and $740 in cash.
Kevin Preston, 45, is charged with trafficking meth, possession of cannabis and possession of a controlled substance. Detectives arrested Preston on May 18 after he sold meth to undercover detectives in January. Authorities found about 0.19 pounds of meth, 0.13 pounds of marijuana and 10 prescription pills during a search of his vehicle.
Combined, the five people arrested have 84 prior felony charges with 20 convictions. The group also has 67 prior misdemeanor charges with 22 convictions.
The investigation is ongoing.
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