Crime

Massive Meth Ring Busted in Volusia County

Sting Involved FBI

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A huge methamphetamine trafficking organization was shut down in a joint effort by the Volusia Bureau of Investigation (VBI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Volusia Sheriff's Office announced on Tuesday. The operation was reportedly headed up by Christina Guess, a former corrections officer for the state of Florida.

The investigative operation launched in March 2021. The VBI and FBI teamed up, the former of which consisted of members from the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, DeLand Police Department, New Smyrna Beach Police Department, Edgewater Police Department and the Ormond Beach Police Department as well as Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Guess and another perpetrator, Reshard Campbell, were said to be the two main organizers of the drug ring. Their operation might've moved up to 24 pounds of meth in Volusia and Lake counties in only one year.

Law enforcement recovered 1.4 lbs of meth, 348g of cocaine, and 11 hydrocodone pills, and a total of nine arrests were made in connection to this sting. Two others were arrested for marijuana possession and nonviolently resisting arrest. The death of an infant due to methamphetamine poisoning in December 2021 has now been named as possibly being connected to this case. Andrea Dunmire, one of the suspects arrested in this sting, was already under investigation for that death as well.

The majority of those arrested lived in southwest Volusia County, namely DeLand and Orange City. The one exception is Campbell, who lived in Ocala.

“This operation is responsible for distributing pounds of methamphetamine and other deadly substances throughout Volusia and Lake counties on a monthly basis," said state Attorney General Ashley Moody.

"Thanks to a ton of hard work over the course of more than a year, today we have one less drug trafficking organization destroying lives in Volusia County and all over Central Florida," added Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood. "I want to thank all our partners for teaming up with us on this case and every other case we're investigating - because our work is never done."

Perhaps most startling about this case is that it's not even the first go-around as accused-kingpin for Guess. She was sentenced to a year in state prison for drug trafficking, serving in 2019 and 2020.

The organization of the drug ring, as presented by the VSO.
The organization of the drug ring, as presented by the VSO.