Police: Large weapons and drug bust in Columbia County

COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Association with a large weapons and narcotics bust on Tuesday.

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According to the sheriff’s office, Columbia County has been experiencing an uptick in gun violence for the past year. Over the past several months, police have been investigating the issue with the help of the ATF and DEA.

On Tuesday, the execution of several search and arrest warrants finally took place and resulted in the arrest of seven individuals whose charges relate to various weapons and narcotics offenses.

Specific details on this operation are still not available as the cases remain active.

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In a statement, Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter said, “We have heard and share the concerns from many in our community about violent crime and appreciate our citizens cooperating with us in these investigations. We will continue to exhaust every available resource to keep our community safe. Our partnership with LCPD and federal agencies is extremely helpful in these cases and we appreciate their willingness to work with us to keep our community safe.”

Action News Jax will continue to follow this story and will keep you updated as events unfold.

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