Pubdate: Tue, 08 Jun 2004 Source: Tallahassee Democrat (FL) Copyright: 2004 Tallahassee Democrat. Contact: http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/444 Note: Prints email address for LTEs sent by email Author: Aetna Smith, Democrat Staff Writer Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/af.htm (Asset Forfeiture) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm (Drug Raids) DRUG RAID NETS $69,000 IN CASH Small Amounts Of Marijuana, Cocaine Found After making an undercover purchase from a reputed drug house on Pullen Road last month, officers expected to find narcotics. But they were surprised at what they found at a recent raid of the four-bedroom apartment in northwest Tallahassee. "The amount of drugs is not anything spectacular - two pounds of marijuana and 46 grams of cocaine," said Sgt. Ernie Stoll of the Tallahassee Police Department Narcotics Unit. "The difference is that we found $69,000 in cash sealed in plastic and ready to go. (The money) was in vacuum-sealed bags, about $8,000 to $10,000 apiece in a bedroom and in a car outside." Police conducted the raid after getting a tip last month from a citizen and after undercover officers bought drugs from the apartment. A .45-caliber handgun with a bogus serial number also was found in the apartment, as were nine cell phones. Officers from the Tallahassee police, the Leon County Sheriff's Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement were involved in the investigation. A Dodge Neon and a Ford Taurus, with a combined value of about $17,000, also were found outside the apartment during the Thursday evening raid, said Stoll. One pill of Ecstasy was also found. The marijuana has a street value of about $2,000, and the cocaine has a similar value, he said. Five Tallahassee men were arrested for charges including operating a drug house and selling cocaine and marijuana. They are Steve Sarafin, 22; Christopher Perier, 21; Mantinez Antenor, 24; Jean Paret, 22; and Michael Vielot, 22, police spokesman Stewart Clendinen said. They were taken to the Leon County Jail. It is not clear which men lived in the apartment in the 1300 block of Pullen Road at a complex where many college students reside, Stoll said. "We've had busts with 30 to 40 pounds of marijuana and several kilos of cocaine," he said. "But with this much money and the small amount of product ... most of it had already been sold." The men are from South Florida and have lived in Tallahassee about a year, he said. "I think these are young guys who wanted to get a foothold into the (drug) business," he said. "These guys did not seem to be a violent threat. We also found valuable coins and other things that are pawned to get drugs, and that's part of the whole problem. The sale of narcotics leads to burglary and thefts, and violent crimes come out of it." Investigators plan to present the case to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, which would then contact the U.S. Attorney's Office about pressing federal drug charges. "We want to find out where they got the drugs from and who else is involved," Stoll said. - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager