LSO’s ‘Operation Spring Sting’ ends with arrest of 12 suspected drug dealers

 When Laurel County Sheriff John Root took office in Jan. 2011 he issued a warning to Laurel County residents who are dealing drugs that he and his deputies would cracking down on drug dealing in Laurel County.

Root has a new weapon in his arsenal, Detective Jason Back, who has been sworn in as a special deputy with the U.S. Marshal’s Service.

"About eight months ago, the Marshal’s Service asked him to come on board," said Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, the public affairs officer.

Back led one of four teams that included deputies, London Police, Ky. State Police, Corbin Police and U.S. Marshals Thursday morning in an attempt to round up the final 26 of 58 suspected drug dealers targeted in "Operation Spring Sting," which has been on-going over the last 90 days. The suspects not only live in Laurel County, but in Rockcastle and Whitley counties as well.

"If you are coming into Laurel County and dealing drugs, we will find you and we will arrest you," Sheriff John Root warned would-be drug dealers.

Jimmy Gilbert of Palmer Street in Corbin learned just how serious Root’s warning was. Gilbert was the last of four individuals Back and his team attempted to find and taken into custody. The team stopped at two other homes in the Corbin area before members learned that Gilbert was at his home on Palmer Street.

With Back again leading, the team confronted Gilbert at his home and took him into custody. When they brought him to the cruiser, they had his home incarceration monitoring equipment and a metal container inside of which was three syrnges and what Back said was crushed Roxicet pills.

IN addition to prescription pills of various kinds, the individuals arrested Thursday are accused of selling methamphetmaine and marijuana.

"It went real well," Root said, noting there were no incidents when deputies and other law enforcement went to serve the arrest warrants.

The individuals from Corbin/Whitley County arrested Thursday include:

• Robert Neal Masters, 46, Williamsburg, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance

• Raymond Bullis, Corbin, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance

• Shawna Moore, Corbin, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance

• Jimmy Gilbert, Corbin, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance

• Casey Brock, Corbin, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (two counts)

• Elizabeth Lowe, Corbin, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance

Warrants are active for several other individuals from the Corbin area including:

•Brandon Smith, Corbin, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (two counts)

Christopher Smallwood, Corbin, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance

The arrest warrants were secured after controlled purchases were made from the individuals. Root said it was primarily prescription pills, but there was also some methamphetamine and marijuana.