A dozen people have been arrested in Marion County for conducting a drug and weapons mailing operation.
The arrests were made following a month long investigation that was conducted by the Marion County Sheriff's Office in conjunction with the United States Postal Inspection Service as well as numerous law enforcement agencies throughout Central Florida.
The Sheriff’s Office said investigators located suspicious inbound packages at Post Offices throughout Marion County and then conducted investigations to determine their contents and identify the drug distributors.
Investigators said during the operation, 20 drug parcels were discovered and an assortment of drugs were recovered including cocaine, marijuana, synthetic marijuana, prescription medication and ingredients to make Molly.
A total of twelve suspects were arrested on various drug and weapons charges and 5 firearms were taken as evidence, three of which were stolen the Sheriff’s Office said.