Sarasota drug bust: Anonymous tip leads police to more than 100 grams of cocaine
SARASOTA, Fla. - A search warrant executed by Sarasota police resulted in the arrest of a 58-year-old man and the seizure of more than 100 grams of cocaine after an anonymous tip alerted officers to illegal drug activity, according to the Sarasota Police Department.
Sarasota cocaine seizure
What we know:
Detectives executed a search warrant at a home off Old Bradenton Road following a tip. Inside the home, officers arrested Lashay Smith. Investigators reported finding 45.5 grams of crack cocaine, 56.1 grams of powder cocaine and materials used for packaging and selling drugs.
Courtesy: Sarasota Police Department
Smith has 14 prior felony convictions, including drug possession, burglary and drug sales. He is considered a habitual traffic offender in Florida, police said.
Smith was charged with three felonies, including trafficking cocaine and possession of a controlled substance, along with two misdemeanors for possession of drug paraphernalia and maintaining a dwelling for using a controlled substance. He was released on a $26,000 bond.
Anonymous tip community impact
Big picture view:
Sarasota Police Public Information Officer Genevieve Judge emphasized the impact of community involvement.
"This is a perfect example of if you see something, say something. You may think even the most minute, small tip may be nothing, but let law enforcement investigate that," Judge said. "You never know what it could lead to. Who knows if this anonymous caller, tipster knows what they’ve done. They’ve done a great thing letting us know about that. Because of their anonymous tip. Because they saw something and said something, we were able to get a dangerous amount of cocaine off the street."
Judge said that the tip prevented further harm in the area.
Courtesy: Sarasota Police Department
"Had the 100 grams of cocaine gotten out onto the streets, it could have taken lives," Judge said. "We do encourage folks, if you do see something, say something because your tip could lead to a very big arrest."
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon from Sarasota Police Department Public Information Officer Genevieve Judge.