Port Richey operation leads to two dozen arrests

PORT RICHEY

Operation yields 24 arrests at troubled complex

A joint operation that included several Pasco County law enforcement agencies and focused on a Port Richey apartment complex yielded two dozen arrests last week.

The Pasco County Sheriff's Office, the Port Richey and New Port Richey police departments and code enforcement officers teamed up for Operation Velvet Revolver, named in part because one of streets they targeted was Velvet Drive.

The operation occurred at Windtree Apartments, near the intersection of Ridge Road and U.S. 19. It is an area, Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Melanie Snow said, that has seen its share of drug problems and shootings.

"Every night, it seems, there's something going on there," Snow said.

Officers knocked on doors of apartments that are known to have issues, Snow said. In all, they made 24 arrests on the night of Sept. 7, most on warrants for drug charges, and issued eight code enforcement citations.

Times staff