Land O’ Lakes Drug House Bust Leads to 1 Arrest, 2nd Suspect Still Wanted

LAND O’ LAKES, FL — The recent arrest of four people connected to a multi-county retail theft ring led law enforcement officers to a home in Land O’ Lakes where Pasco County deputies say occupants traded drugs for goods swiped by members of the ring.

According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, a joint investigation between its agency, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and Tarpon Springs Police Department led to the initial arrest of four people at a home on Litewood Drive in Hudson on Oct. 4. That investigation enabled investigators to obtain a search warrant for a home in the 4700 block of School Road.

Pasco deputies, along with officials from Pinellas County, served the search warrant in Land O’ Lakes on Tuesday, Oct. 11. Jeffry Marko, 45, was arrested following the search on a long list of drug charges. Another man, Sanchez Savage, is still wanted by authorities. He is believed to be traveling between Cordell, Georgia, and Pasco County. Once caught, Sanchez will also face drug charges, an email from the sheriff’s office said.

According to Pasco deputies, members of the retail theft ring stole items, primarily from Walmart stores, and then traded them for drugs on School Road.

Marko was jailed following Tuesday’s warrant search. He now faces trafficking in methamphetamine, trafficking in MDMA, trafficking in oxy, possession of heroin, possession of Alprazolam, possession of morphine, possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia and manufacturing of cocaine charges. He was also charged with operating a drug house. A Kel-Tec PLR22 firearm was also seized in the search, the Pasco sheriff's office said.

Photo courtesy of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office