A recent drug crackdown in Volusia County continues to expose the growing heroin problem across Central Florida.

  • More than 2 dozen suspected drug dealers arrested in Volusia
  • Months-long undercover operation targeted street-level dealers
  • Investigation highlights growing heroin problem in the area

Volusia County Sheriff's Office detectives targeted street-level drug dealers on the west side of the county — working off tips and complaints from the community — in a months-long undercover investigation.

Detectives on Tuesday made a series of arrests of dealers of heroin, cocaine and other drugs.

The sweep across the DeLand area targeted more than 30 individuals with arrest warrants issued as a result of the investigation, deputies said. Sixteen people were arrested in the operation, with nine others previously arrested in the days leading up to Tuesday.

In addition to the 25 arrests, 12 more suspects are still wanted on outstanding warrants related to street-level drug sales.

Officials with the Stewart-Marchman-Act in Daytona Beach said heroin use is on the rise in Flagler and Volusia counties.

"The addiction to heroin is very powerful and, physically, very addicting," said Nicole Sharbono, of Stewart-Marchman.

Stewart-Marchman is a behavioral drug treatment center in Flagler and Volusia. Experts at the center said there's a direct correlation with the increase in heroin use and the crackdown on pill mills.

Sharbono said pain pills were the drug of choice when they were readily available before states like Florida started shutting down the so-called mills in 2011.

"But now, they are moving onto something that’s more readily available," Sharbono said. "Which, as heroin moves into this area, it's becoming much more available than it was before."

There's an even larger danger on the horizon, though.

Treatment centers are noticing a mixture of heroin and other drugs that are already proving to be lethal in other parts of the nation.

"When you look at the pentanol and carphentanol that is being mixed with the heroin, that is presenting the largest risk for overdoses because it's significantly more potent," Sharbono said, adding that the mixture can be deadly.

Stewart-Marchman officials said families can intervene if their loved ones are addicted to opioids. For more information, go here.

For body-cam footage of Operation Crack of Dawn, including a full list of the people arrested, go to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office's Facebook page.