Over two dozen individuals have been arrested and accused of running and taking part in a drug trafficking syndicate that dealt hundreds of thousands of dollars of fentanyl and heroin throughout parts of Central Florida.

On Tuesday, June 13, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood held a press conference detailing a multi-jurisdictional police investigation into heroin and fentanyl traffickers in Volusia and Lake counties.

Entitled “Operation Daly Dose,” the 5-month investigation identified individuals who were part of a supply chain that was responsible for distributing multiple kilograms of fentanyl each month throughout the counties.

For weeks, officers across the area have been making arrests in the case. On Thursday, June 8, two dozen defendants were taken into custody after multiple search warrants were executed across DeLand and Orange City.

During the investigation, authorities seized over 2,300 grams of fentanyl, which carries a street value of approximately $200,000. According to police, the amount collected is equal to more than 1.5 million doses of the drug.

Fentanyl is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Drug Enforcement Agency defines a lethal dose of fentanyl as 2 mg or more.

In addition to fentanyl, authorities seized 53 grams of black tar heroin, 138 grams of cocaine, 423 grams of meth, 43 grams of MDMA, 180 opioid pills, 11 firearms, and more than $100,000 in cash and assets.

The operation is named after Drew Daly, one of the distributors that was arrested for his role in the syndicate. Daly, who will turn 30 later this month, joined several others who were arrested, including his suppliers, 41-year-old Vernon Woodward and 36-year-old Preston Ingram.

Authorities say that Woodward’s DeLand home and vehicles were the target of an April 4 shooting related to the syndicate, and that at least one overdose death in Deltona is being investigated for potential connection.

Police have also connected members of the syndicate with thefts that took place at Walmart stores across the area. In one such instance, a defendant posed as an employee in order to steal 75-inch televisions and trade them for narcotics.

In addition to Daly, Woodward, and Ingram, the arrests include Daly’s girlfriend, Lauren Toce, who was responsible for a child who experienced a drug overdose in 2020. That child survived after receiving a dose of NARCAN at Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach.

While Toce was incarcerated on a violation probation for child neglect, she attempted to conspire with her boyfriend and his brother, Patrick Daly, to smuggle cocaine, Xanax, and other contraband into the Volusia County Branch Jail. Police intercepted these efforts before they ever reached inmates at the jail.

“This large-scale investigation has led to the dismantling of a fentanyl trafficking network and more than 30 individuals are now behind bars for buying and selling this poison. My statewide prosecutors will aggressively prosecute these cases and we will continue to fight back with our law enforcement partners against this crisis,” said Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.

The investigation into the syndicate was a joint operation by the Volusia Bureau of Investigation, the West Volusia Narcotics Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, and the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution.

As of Tuesday, June 13, the following individuals have been arrested on a slew of trafficking charges:

  • Vernon Woodward
  • Preston Gerald Denard Ingram
  • Drew Thomas Daly
  • Terell Devon Ross
  • Darrell Deandre Woodward
  • Lauren Marie Toce
  • Brian Heath Vestal
  • Michelle Lynn Bishop
  • Tina Marie Herschman
  • Allison Rebeka Gathings
  • Courtney Marie Long
  • Michael Patrick Hunt
  • Daniel Wayne Morris
  • Jessica Paige Jones
  • Katie Lee Jones
  • Danielle L Santopietro
  • Andre Martinez
  • Fernando Scott Lagunas
  • Brandon Kurtis Williford
  • Michael Wade Cooper
  • Donald Irvin Longenecker
  • Chelsea Fults-Paine
  • Richard Alan Beckner
  • Kevin Lee Moore
  • Frederick Roy McDaniel

Police say there are still multiple individuals that are wanted in connection with this operation, including the following:

  • Jarrick Lorenzo Ross
  • Patrick Steven Daly
  • Robert Lee Yates
  • Donald Lowell Lucas III
  • Brian Keith Pitzer
  • Jose Angel Gomez Jr
  • Matthew Quinn Stomber