WATERBURY--Police have arrested more than three dozen people in Operation Stamp Out.
The Waterbury Police Department started planning this operation last September in light of the heroin epidemic across the state. In October, Stamford police officers posed as buyers and setting up heroin buys from the suspects.
Of the 38 people arrested, 28 face charges related to selling drugs and the remaining 10 people face other charges like possession of narcotics or interfering with an officer.
The suspected drug dealers from all over Waterbury range in age from ages 18 to 60 years old. Police call them "mid-level" dealers.
Chief Vernon Riddick says, "We define a mid-level dealer as any person who sold heroin to a street level dealer as well as a bundle. We consider a bundle ten bags or more."
Out of the 50 people they intended to arrest, 43 sold drugs to undercover Stamford Police officers.
Police say 60 members of the Waterbury law enforcement community and another 24 from other local and state agencies are part of the operation. During the operation on Monday, officers ended up seizing almost $24,000 cash, about $15,000 worth of heroin, a small amount of marijuana and cocaine, a shot gun and ammunition.
Chief Riddick says, "We anticipate this will put a serious dent in the drug trade going forward."
The operation began around 5:30 a.m. Monday, and as of 2 p.m. police said they expected to make about 20 more arrests. Here are images of those who officers are still searching for:
