16 Arrested During 'Operation Ice Mama' Plead Guilty: Sheriff

SARASOTA COUNTY, FL — Sixteen people arrested during an undercover sting called "Operation Ice Mama" three years ago recently pleaded guilty in court to a variety of drug charges, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office confirmed Wednesday.

According to the sheriff's office, during the operation, deputies infiltrated a large drug trafficking ring responsible for distributing methamphetamine throughout Sarasota County.

Detectives launched their investigation in October 2018 after connecting 44-year-old Jennifer Lambert to the sale and distribution of methamphetamine in the Nokomis area, authorities said.

Known within her network as “Mama Jen,” deputies said Lambert has drug arrests dating back to 2013 and has been a person of interest related to drug trafficking for more than a decade.

In April 2019, detectives said they connected Lambert to seven individual drug transactions in which she conspired to traffic in methamphetamine. Over the course of about eight months, detectives worked to identify Lambert’s associates and others who may be involved in her network.

They eventually identified three of Lambert’s counterparts, all mid-level drug dealers in Sarasota County, including 48-year-old Randy Greene of Nokomis, 38-year-old Erik Walker of Venice and 35-year-old Robert Cain of Sarasota, according to detectives.

Cain is known to detectives for his past criminal behavior including his heavy involvement in metal thefts in 2011. Cain was charged with grand theft, vehicle theft and burglary as part of Operation Meltdown. He was also charged in 2016 in connection with the death of Jason Head and is currently awaiting trial. Cain has 29 prior arrests in Sarasota County alone, the sheriff's office said.

Combined, the 16 people arrested during Operation Ice Mama have 156 prior felony charges with 49 convictions and 149 prior misdemeanor charges with 72 convictions, the sheriff's office said.

When the court system shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the cases slowly progressed through the judicial system, culminating last week when the final defendant took a plea, the sheriff's office said.

"Over the last year, detectives have been involved in multiple depositions and put in an extraordinary amount of effort, working toward a successful resolution, resulting in the charges listed below," the sheriff's office said in a news release.

Each person arrested during the operation has pleaded guilty to these charges:

• Jennifer Lambert – 10 years Department of Corrections/ 5 years’ probation
• Robbie Cain – 10 years Department of Corrections / 5 years’ probation
• Randy Greene – 10 years Department of Corrections / 5 years’ probation
• Erik Walker – 7 years Department of Corrections / 18 months’ probation
• Walter Lint- 5 years Department of Corrections
• Scott Hill- 3 years Department of Corrections
• Ronda Gibson- 3 years Department of Corrections / 2 years’ probation
• Bobby Jo Whiting- 2 years Department of Corrections
• Heather Johnson- 1 year County Jail/ 2 years’ probation
• Drew Tilson- 1 year County Jail/ 18 months’ probation
• Jimalee Willis- 4 months County Jail/ 3 years’ probation
• Joseph Hochberg- 6 months County Jail
• Robert McMullen- 90 days County Jail/1-year probation
• William Williams- 5 years’ probation
• Casey Ross- 5 years’ probation
• Patricia Greene- 5 years’ probation