Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrests of five individuals in connection with a major drug trafficking operation in Palm Beach County, Florida. The investigation, called “Operation Slow N Go,” uncovered the distribution of several illegal substances including cocaine, fentanyl, xylazine, psilocybin, marijuana, methamphetamine, testosterone, alprazolam, and pharmaceutical pills. Authorities seized six handguns, multiple automatic rifles, over two kilograms of narcotics, and 500 pharmaceutical pills during the operation.
“If anyone traffics dangerous drugs like fentanyl into Florida, expect our Office of Statewide Prosecution to throw the book at you,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “This case is further proof that Florida has the best sheriffs in the nation, and thanks to their partnership, we have fewer criminals on the street and less fentanyl in our communities.”
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek stated: “This is a good message to everybody that with our collaborative efforts, if you vomit a crime we will catch you anywhere, inside or outside the state of Florida. We have broken down the barriers of the jurisdictional boundaries to protect the residents of Florida. This case exemplifies our working relationship and our resolve to catch bad guys everywhere.”
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw added: “Those who choose to profit from addiction should know they cannot hide in our community. We will aggressively pursue anyone trafficking fentanyl and other deadly substances. We remain committed to protecting our residents and holding drug traffickers accountable.”
Okeechobee County Sheriff Noel E. Stephen commented: “The baseline of any law enforcement agency is investigation. When you’re able to do that on a large scale — across multiple agencies — it takes specialized personnel to operate and maintain that level of work here. Together, we’ve removed dangerous drugs, weapons, and people from our streets. We’re proud of the role we played, and we sincerely thank all of the partnering organizations for their support and commitment to this mission.”
West Palm Beach Police Department Assistant Chief Al Musco said: “This unprecedented collaboration amongst these agencies is what helped remove these criminals from our streets. This is a testament to what we can accomplish when we work together to protect our communities.”
The six-month investigation was led by both the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division and Attorney General Uthmeier’s Office of Statewide Prosecution with assistance from several agencies including federal authorities such as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), state officials from Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), as well as local sheriff’s offices from Okeechobee County and police departments from West Palm Beach.
Investigators found that two members sold drugs out of a flea market in Palm Beach County which served as a front for distributing narcotics throughout South Florida.
The trafficking ring operated across several counties—Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, Broward, Okeechobee, Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River—in addition to Suffolk County in Virginia.
Five individuals were charged:
– Gary Devon West faces charges including conspiracy to commit racketeering; trafficking in fentanyl; conspiracy related to methamphetamine; delivery charges for both fentanyl and methamphetamine; possession with intent; unlawful use of communication devices.
– Darryl “Unc” Butler faces conspiracy charges along with unlawful use of communication devices.
– Andres Chaves faces delivery-related charges for fentanyl plus unlawful device use.
– James Thiele faces methamphetamine trafficking charges plus unlawful device use.
– Robert Townsend faces similar trafficking charges plus delivery offenses involving controlled substances.
Two additional suspects have outstanding warrants with more arrests expected.
Senior Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Chris Olowin along with Assistant Statewide Prosecutors Monique Wilson and Joshua Dockus are assigned to prosecute this case.
