Citizen Complaints Close Drug Houses

Complaints of drug activity lead to a search warrant that ended in two Clearwater men being arrested and charged with various drug possession and sales charges in the Drew Terrace neighborhood Tuesday.

Narcotics detectives came with search warrants to 502 N Mars Ave and 221 N Saturn Ave after getting complaints about drug activity, according to Clearwater Police.

"Many narcotics tips come from law-abiding citizens who do not want drug activity on their doorstep and just one phone call may be the initial step in an investigation," said Elizabeth Watts, police spokeswoman.

Desmond Rodriguez, 45, was arrested and charged with two counts of sale and possession of heroin. Jermaine Bennett, 41, was arrested and charged with three counts of sale and possession of cocaine, sale of hydromorphone, possession of crystal meth, crack cocaine and heroin and felon in possession of ammunition.

Investigators also found a stolen laptop and various drug paraphernalia.

"Policing is a partnership between the department and the community," Watts said. "We consistently engage citizens throughout our community in an effort to unveil and address crime and quality of life issues. We cannot be 100 percent effective on our own. We encourage citizens to call when they have information about crimes or witness suspicious activity."