Never has a civilization so lavishly financed its own demise.

Sheriff: Head of largest heroin operation in Polk County history was on food stamps, here illegally

Leader received $900 per month from the gov't

by Ryan Raiche

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Detectives in Polk County recently busted the largest heroin trafficking operation in the county's history, according to Sheriff Grady Judd.

In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Judd said his team of detectives arrested 33 people during the 14-month long investigation. Five were taken into custody early Tuesday morning, including Pablo Bergen, the leader of the operation, according to police.

"You could tell it was his heroin because he always wrapped it in this paper and this is how we found it," said Judd, holding up Bergen's trademark paper coated in shiny green and gold.

He said his team found Bergen's heroin all over the county, but mainly in Lakeland. Police believe he received a pound of heroin every month from New York.

Bergan, along with the majority of those arrested in the operation, has a decorated criminal history. He's currently on house arrest after taking a plea deal in 2008 for another drug trafficking offense.

"It gets better," Judd said. "He's from the Dominican Republic and he's not a citizen of the United States."

Perhaps the biggest bombshell of all, Bergen and a handful of others in the operation were on food stamps, according to Judd.

In addition to raking in tens of thousands of dollars in drug money, Bergen got $900 every month from the government.

"You, the hard working taxpayer of this state, were paying him for this," he said.

Judd is pushing for harsher penalties for anyone involved in drug trafficking. He said he fully supports the proposed state law that would require drug testing for anyone on food stamps.

No word on whether the food stamps will be cut off now that Bergen is finally heading to prison. In Iowa's Polk County, 30% of the jail's inmates were receiving food stamps in 2009.