News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 21, 2002

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Joe Kilmer, Special Agent,
Public Information Officer
Office: 305-994-4837
Cellular: 305-345-6085

Several Defendants Arrested in Conjunction with Operation Project X

Today the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Tampa, together with the U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), and the St. Petersburg Police Department (SPPD) announce the arrest of several defendants and the execution of multiple search warrants in the St. Pete area earlier this morning.

The arrests and search warrant execution started at approximately 6:00A.M. as part of an enforcement action known as Operation Project X. This case is a multi-jurisdictional investigation, which targeted the illegal trafficking of crack cocaine.

Public Information Officers (PIO's) from all four agencies will be available starting at 11:00 A.M. at the Command Center at the Coliseum, located at 535 Fourth Avenue North, in St Petersburg for informal interviews.

Stations interested in obtaining video taken by DEA of the events connected with this investigation should send their live trucks to the Command Center to dub the tape from mini digital video form to your stations format. The tape is several minutes in length.