‘Operation Players Club:’ 14 arrested, estimated $1M in drugs seized, Jacksonville sheriff says

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia law enforcement worked together for five months to dismantle five drug trafficking organizations, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters announced Wednesday.

Waters said “Operation Players Club” led to the arrests of 14 major traffickers while 13 more have pending warrants. The investigation took place from June to November.

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Police targeted the largest suppliers of fentanyl and methamphetamine. One of the alleged traffickers, Paul Anderson, is facing federal prosecution, Waters said.

Twenty-six firearms, $293,273 in cash, and a 2023 Dodge Charger were seized, Waters said. More than an estimated $1 million in drugs were taken off the streets. Here’s the breakdown:

• 118.53 pounds of meth ($663,768 street value)
• 12.5 kilos of MDMA ($99,000 street value)
• 7.5 kilos of powder cocaine ($150,000 street value)
• 164.10 grams of crack cocaine ($16,000 street value)
• 2.25 kilos fentanyl ($121,500 street value)
• 13.58 pounds of marijuana ($40,740 street value)

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In addition to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the following agencies worked on “Operation Players Club:”

• Drug Enforcement Agency
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• North Florida High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area
• U.S. Customs & Border Protection
• State Attorney’s Office, Florida’s Fourth Judicial Circuit
• U.S. Attorney’s Office
• U.S. Postal Inspector
• Florida Highway Patrol
• St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office
• Clay County Sheriff’s Office
• Georgia State Patrol
• Waycross Police Department
• Ware County Sheriff’s Office

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“We will never be able to quantify the lives that were saved by removing this poison from our streets,” Waters said.

Waters said law enforcement will continue to aggressively enforce the laws, even though “our community will not be able to solely arrest its way out of a narcotics problem,” he said.

“Our community enters a New Year safer and more secure,” he said.

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