TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Over $110 million worth of contraband was seized on Florida roadways in 2022, according to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol’s Criminal Interdiction Unit.
FHP said the unit, which is tasked with rooting out illegal human trafficking and smuggling efforts and uncovering nefarious drug activity on Florida roadways, confiscated over 5,000 pounds of narcotics and currency valued at $110,400,681 across 2,187 felony charges.
Included in the seizures was over $5 million in U.S. currency used by criminals to fund operations and “live extravagantly while others suffer.”
The unit also seized 204 weapons and stopped 148 undocumented immigrants in its year-long operations across the state’s 67 counties.
While marijuana was the most-seized drug in terms of gross weight, 722 pounds of cocaine were confiscated, as were 649 pounds of other drugs, including fentanyl, oxycodone, xylazine, and ecstasy/molly, among others.
“The Florida Highway Patrol represents more than traffic enforcement and safety,” said FLHSMV Executive Director Dave Kerner. “The men and women dedicated to keeping Florida communities safe are Florida’s finest. As they patrol the many roadways across the state, they confiscate dangerous narcotics and weapons. They amplify Governor DeSantis’s leadership on law and order. They keep you safe, and they produce results.”
“The above arrests and totals reflect the CIU division’s activity, but do not encompass every aspect of arrests and seizures that happen across the totality of the Florida Highway Patrol,” the report added.
