29 arrested in Rutland raid
Vermont Public Radio reports that "a sweep by officers from 10 law enforcement agencies rounded up 29 people on drug and firearms charges yesterday in Rutland. The effort, dubbed 'Operation Marble Valley' began in February and culminated when 50 officers gathered outside Rutland, divided themselves into arrest teams, prisoner transport teams and other teams and moved in to make the arrests." Of the 29 individuals who were arrested, twelve were picked up on federal warrants, with charges including large-scale cocaine dealing and firearms violations, and seventeen were picked up on state drug charges. Authorities noted that "eight other people [are] still being sought."
The raid comes several months after a fatal drug-related shooting in the area.
VCF Staff
Operation Marble Valley 2008 represents Rutland County's largest ever drug sweep
The Rutland Herald reports that Operation Marble Valley 2008 is Rutland County's largest ever drug sweep. "The arrests were a culmination of months of cooperative investigation between 11 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. More than half of the arrests were made on Wednesday when 50 local, state and federal law officers hit the streets at 5:30 a.m. to start the daylong roundup." The individuals arrested included "dozens of alleged dealers peddling in cocaine, heroin and crack cocaine sales, including a number of dealers found in possession of firearms ranging from handguns and sawed-off shotguns to such high-powered hardware as Mac-11 machine pistols."