The arrest of an alleged drug kingpin from Golden Gate has exposed a multistate pill trafficking operation and is expected to put a major dent in the pill supply available on the black market in Collier County, Sheriff Kevin Rambosk announced Friday.
Detectives with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office Vice Narcotics Bureau arrested David Delly, 33, on Aug. 16 and seized more than 16,000 illegal prescription pills worth nearly $200,000. It is the single largest pill seizure ever made in Collier County.
“This arrest is a warning that narcotics trafficking won’t be tolerated in Collier County,” Sheriff Rambosk said. “Removing these pills from the streets of our community will have an immediate impact.”
Delly, 5140 17th Ave. S.W., Golden Gate, is being held in the Collier County jail on $910,000 bond on multiple felony drug charges, including opium trafficking.
Detectives say Delly oversaw a drug trafficking operation that spanned the southeastern United States, including Florida. Under this operation, Delly sponsored individuals to travel to doctors and pharmacists for prescriptions. He then the purchased prescriptions and/or filled them himself.
Delly traveled from state to state on a weekly basis. He flew in airplanes, stayed in hotels, drove rental cars and used cell phones to conduct this operation, detectives said.
Due to the amount of prescriptions and pills recovered Friday detectives estimate this group to be comprised by up to 100 people.
Detectives believe Delly was responsible for supplying thousands of illegal prescription pills to Collier County on a weekly basis.
“We expect federal indictments on this group and we expect local and state charges on co-conspirators,” Sheriff Rambosk said.
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office received information over an extended period of time which indicated Delly was supplying/selling large quantities of diverted controlled substances, to include Roxicodone and Dilaudid. With the cooperation of several sources and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, vice narcotics detectives were able to purchase 20.38 grams of Roxicodone from Delly at 3557 Pine Ridge Road, #205, in North Naples. Delly was arrested for the sale/trafficking of the controlled substance. A search warrant was executed at the location.
During the search detectives seized 16,332 pills that were inside a backpack: 4,921 Dilaudid tablets, 3,714 Xanax tablets, 3,879 Clonazepam tablets, and 3,818 non-controlled legend drugs. They also found a semiautomatic handgun and numerous prescription medication bottles which identified several other individuals suspected to be conspirators in Delly’s drug trafficking activities.
Detectives executed a second search warrant at Delly’s residence, during which detectives seized financial records, ledgers, two hand guns and prescription medication records that identified additional persons of interest relating to Delly’s drug trafficking activity.
The estimated street value of the seized drugs is $194,243.00.
“We were pleased to have intervened in the supply chain prior to 16,000-plus pills hitting the streets,” said CCSO Special Investigations Captain Harold Minch.
This investigation continues.