WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — A family-run drug operation that spans at least three generations was uncovered this week during an investigation in Winter Haven, the Polk County Sheriff's Office reports.
Sheriff Grady Judd detailed the multi-agency operation during a news conference on Monday.
"It’s a family affair. It’s a generational event," he said. "These folks have created death and destruction for many many families for a very long time."
Deputies conducted three search warrants on June 22, two in the area of 37th Avenue and one on Avenue M in the Inwood area of Winter Haven. They led to the seizure of $139,149 worth of drugs and 12 arrests.
Deputies say they seized:
- 1,365.97 grams of methamphetamine
- 980.13 grams of cocaine
- 900.88 grams of MDMA
- 224.06 grams of fentanyl
- 157.78 grams of marijuana
- 8.88 grams of Oxycodone
- 202 prescription pills
- One pill press
- One 9mm handgun
The 12 arrests included several members of the Rogers family, who have been "trafficking drugs and committing other crimes" in the same neighborhood since the 1980s, the sheriff's office said.
“These folks aren't new to us. The Rogers family has been around for decades," Judd said.
One of the men arrested was 69-year-old Odia Rogers, who Judd described as the "patriarch of the family." He began his crime career 30 years ago and remains in prison, according to the sheriff.
His girlfriend, 59-year-old Theresa Prince, was also arrested in connection to drug distribution but has bonded out of jail.
One of Odia's sons, 38-year-old Kenneth Rogers, was arrested as well. Judd described him as the current head of the drug trafficking organization. Kenneth has had multiple prior arrests, including a major drug trafficking charge in 2020 that he hasn't been to trial for yet.
The other Rogers siblings arrested in this operation include 39-year-old Rafel Rogers, 31-year-old Tameka Rogers and 28-year-old Dominique Rogers.
According to the sheriff, Dominique is currently wanted in Manatee County on two counts of second-degree murder. Judd said he is also under investigation for providing fentanyl that led to the death of a 19-year-old girl.
Rafel's son, 21-year-old Jordan Rogers, was also arrested. The sheriff's office said he was caught with a pill press and a "litany of drugs."
"He’s following the same pattern. He’s living what he’s learned at home his entire life, and that’s sad," Judd said.
Multiple juveniles arrested in the operation were not blood relatives of the Rogers family but were living in the same environment, according to the sheriff's office.
"Members of the Rogers family are very well known to law enforcement and have been arrested many times over the years. They have been a cancer in the Inwood community for a long time, exposing families there to unwanted drug activity, gangs, violence and more. We want these families to know that we're doing everything in our power to put a stop to it," Judd said.
You can watch Sheriff Judd's full news conference below.