Law enforcement responds to growing drug problem in San Patricio Co.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – More than three dozen law enforcement officers were deployed early Thursday morning to stop the continued distribution of street drugs such as cocaine, heroin and other narcotics in San Patricio County and Aransas Pass.

Operation “Rolling Stones” – the name is a reference to crack cocaine – began at 6 a.m. with arrest warrants in hand outside a house on 10th Street and aimed to find 29 suspected drug dealers who were doing business in the area.

Aransas Pass and San Patricio County police officers found the first suspect they were looking for.

They also arrested a couple living in the house who told 3NEWS that they were only there temporarily until they found their own place and had no idea that there were drugs in the house.

A neighbor who witnessed the raid said he was surprised by the action.

“I didn't know anything like this was happening,” they said. “I mean, I know he had a lot of people over, but other than that, I had no idea. I'm glad they're cleaning up the neighborhood,” they said. “I'm very shocked that it happened right next to my house, though.”

San Patricio County Sheriff Oscar Rivera said the impact of drug trafficking in the county extends beyond individual households.

“We're dealing with street drug purchases all over the county, and it's had a big impact on us since it started to trickle down into school districts,” he said. “It's become a big problem, and we're seeing more and more young generations coming into our prisons, and we have a prison full of people who all have a drug past.”

At another house on the south end of town, police were banging on the front door.

Finally, the suspect opened the door and turned himself in.

Police Chief Eric Blanchard said operations like Rolling Stones are critical to keeping his city and others safe. He said if a drug offense in his jurisdiction is serious enough to warrant federal charges, he has the infrastructure in place to make it happen.

“These are the things that directly affect our community,” he said. “We will go everywhere the drugs are coming from and coming from. If the matter comes to light at the federal level, I have officers assigned to the DEA working directly there.”

The suspects in Thursday's raid were arrested, taken to the police station for processing and then transferred to San Patricio Prison.