August 23, 2007
Gary Davidson
Public Information Officer

DAYTONA DRUG RAID YIELDS COCAINE, MARIJUANA AND 2 ARRESTS

 A raid of a suspected drug house in Daytona Beach early Thursday morning yielded cocaine, marijuana and two arrests. Criminal charges against a third person also are pending.

Tipped off by citizen complaints about drug activity, the East Volusia Narcotics Task Force has had 1310 Crestview Ave. under investigation for about three months. After gaining enough evidence to secure a search warrant, agents moved in at around 6:25 a.m. Thursday morning. The agents seized approximately 25 grams of crack cocaine and 181 grams of marijuana. The search also turned up other tell-tale signs of an illegal drug enterprise, such as digital scales and plastic bags commonly used to package narcotics for distribution. Agents charged 25-year-old Bedford Hester with possession of cocaine and possession of marijuana under 20 grams, while 44-year-old Phyllis Warren was charged with possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Agents also plan to file felony charges against a juvenile who was at the residence when it was raided.

The East Volusia Narcotics Task Force is a multi-agency force of narcotics agents from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, Ormond Beach Police Department, New Smyrna Beach Police Department and Edgewater Police Department that shares resources and crosses jurisdictional boundaries to combat street-level drug and vice crimes. The Sheriff’s Office’s SWAT Team also assisted in the execution of Thursday’s search warrant.