TPD: Six arrested in drug bust at Seminole Heights motel after month-long investigation

SEMINOLE HEIGHTS, Fla. - The Tampa Police Department is cracking down on nuisance hotels and motels. After receiving several complaints of ongoing criminal activity occurring at hotels and motels in Seminole Heights, TPD began surveilling several businesses along Nebraska Avenue. 

A month-long investigation led detectives to zero in on the Alamo Motel, long cited as a haven for drug dealing and prostitution by neighbors. 

 "I've lived here nearly ten years. I can't remember a week that we have not talked about this location. We shouldn't be doing that," said Seminole Heights neighbor William Truett. "You would see multiple people going to the same rooms at that motel during an hour, different people every hour on the hour, different people going to the same room, and you have to scratch your head when you see this."

A deadly shooting in front of the motel earlier this year only increased neighborhood calls for intervention. 

The hotel, located at 6110 N. Nebraska Avenue, sits within a block of Seminole Heights Elementary School, a daycare, an after school program, a church, a neighborhood grocery store and dozens of homes and businesses. 

"You have parents, you have kids that are walking by this location during the school year. Probably not the best situation for them," said Truett.

Neighbors brought their concerns about the motel to Tampa Police Chief Mary O'Connor during a recent neighborhood roll call, a program that brings police officers and residents together to discuss issues within their communities. 

Officers began to take a closer look, and by June 2, TPD had secured search warrants for multiple rooms in the eight-room motel. In a sting that same night, officers said its detectives uncovered a pair of handguns, fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, synthetic marijuana and MDMA spread out across half of the motel’s rooms. Six people were arrested on various possession and trafficking charges.    

"I wasn't surprised about the things that they found, but I was very happy that the police department was listening to us. They did their work," said Truett. "They're trying to make sure that it's safe in this area."

In a statement, Chief O'Connor called the bust the result of an ideal partnership between neighbors and police. 

"The engagement of our community and detailed police work that led to these arrests is outstanding", TPD Chief O’Connor said in a statement. "We rely on the community to be our eyes and ears. Hearing concerns directly from our residents and then quickly working to address these issues is a clear example of the cooperative partnerships our city is known for, and what will continue to make our city safer."

The sting appears to have prompted Alamo Hotel owners to take measures to clean up the property. On Thursday, workers could be seen removing locks from doors and entering ramsacked-looking rooms to clear out furniture and heaps of debris. Though owners did not respond to a request for comment, workers said they were grateful for TPD intervention and had recently evicted numerous long term problem tennants. 

Despite calls from neighbors to close permanently, workers indicated the motel would reopen after renovations. 

Truett said he hopes TPD continues to put the pressure on motel owners to keep their properties from turning into havens of criminal activity.  

"It's not that they don't know what's going on. They have to see it," said Truett. "They have cameras. If we can see it, they're seeing it as well."