CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. – Three Floral City residents have been arrested in what Citrus County Sheriff’s office is calling a “historical” meth bust.
During the early morning hours of February 8, 2023, Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) deputies and members of the Tactical Impact Unit (TIU) seized the largest quantity of pure, uncut crystal methamphetamine in agency history as a result of a search warrant.
“Narcotics investigations, especially that of a larger scale operation, can be time-consuming and require hours of investigation in order to secure a successful outcome. However, in this case, our team members were able to act swiftly upon the intelligence they gathered to stop a narcotics trafficker right here in our community,” said Sheriff Mike Prendergast. “I am proud of the efforts of these team members, especially that of Deputy Flores, who worked diligently to end this illicit narcotics operation. Let this be a clear message to anyone else trafficking drugs in Citrus County: You too may find yourself spending the next 15 years or more of your life behind bars if you peddle this poison here.”
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Officials served the warrant at the residence of Ginger Sue Mason, 50, located on South Kik Point in Floral City, Florida. The investigation into this illegal activity unraveled after CCSO’s Deputy David Flores received information about Mason’s illicit narcotics trafficking operation. Deputy Flores contacted CCSO’s TIU, who immediately sprang into action to develop a search warrant for the residence.
When detectives served the search warrant at the residence, Mason and two other residents, Alan Joe Hyatt, 38, and Darra Ann Deshea Lee, 30, were taken into custody without incident. Additionally, deputies discovered a juvenile residing in the home who was sleeping on cockroach-infested floors.
It was also determined that the juvenile was frequently exposed to narcotic transactions and was in close proximity to where the narcotics and paraphernalia were located. The Department of Children and Families (DCF) was promptly contacted and responded to the scene to follow up with the child’s temporary placement.
Upon searching the home, multiple kilos of methamphetamine, determined to be over five pounds (2,275.6 grams) was located in Mason’s bedroom. This amount of narcotics carries a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison if convicted.
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Several items of paraphernalia and additional methamphetamine for personal use was found in Hyatt and Lee’s possession.
“Upon further investigation, it was determined that Mason had been selling large quantities of methamphetamine in Citrus County for quite some time. The detective’s investigation also revealed that Mason would frequently travel out of state and to Mexico in order to purchase several kilos of methamphetamine at a time and then distribute them in smaller quantities here in Citrus,” said CCSO.
The following three arrests were made as a result of this search warrant:
Ginger Sue Mason, DOB 12/06/1972, charged with trafficking in methamphetamine over 200 grams bond $100,000, rent/lease/own a structure for trafficking illegal narcotics in bond $5,000, possession of paraphernalia (pipes, scales, baggies) bond $1,000. Total bond $106,000
Alan Joe Hyatt, DOB 04/03/1984, charged with possession of a controlled substance (7.1 grams of methamphetamine) bond $2,000 and possession of drug paraphernalia (glass pipe for smoking methamphetamine) bond $1,000. Total bond $3,000
Darra Ann Deshea Lee, DOB, 04/23/1992 charged with possession of a controlled substance (7.1 grams of methamphetamine) bond $2,000 and possession of drug paraphernalia (glass pipe for smoking methamphetamine) bond $1,000. Total bond $3,000
If you know of anyone who may be dealing in illegal narcotics or know of someone struggling with addiction, call our non-emergency line at 352-249-2790 to make a report, or to speak with our Behavioral Health Unit for assistance.
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