Two Villages residents were arrested on drug charges Sunday in the upscale Village of Pinellas at Evans Prairie.
Sumter County sheriff’s deputies conducted a traffic stop at 11:53 a.m. Sunday on a blue Chevy Tavares, which the driver stopped at the driveway of her residence located at 3043 Eastwood Terrace. The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle was identified as 28-year-old Lauren Genovese of The Villages. She was placed under arrest for driving with a suspended license.
Deputies made contact with an occupant of the residence, identified as Eugene Fox.
Due to numerous complaints of suspicious activity and suspicious vehicular traffic in and out of the residence, deputies asked Fox for permission to search the residence. Fox granted permission with the exception of the bedrooms. The search resulted in deputies discovering items used to manufacture crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia used to ingest cocaine; subsequently resulting in SCSO Special Investigations Squad obtaining a search warrant for the residence.
Upon execution of the search warrant, detectives discovered 26 grams of heroin, 10 grams of MDMA, a Smith & Wesson MP 9mm handgun with a loaded magazine and numerous items of drug paraphernalia; MDMA (Ecstasy) was found in Fox’s bedroom. During an interview with Genovese, she stated that she had the firearm in her possession, along with the heroin and MDMA (Ecstasy). Genovese also admitted that she had participated in drug sales from the residence.
Fox was arrested and charged with possession of MDMA (Ecstasy) and possession of paraphernalia.
Genovese was arrested and charged with armed trafficking heroin, armed trafficking MDMA (Ecstasy), possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of paraphernalia, keeping a drug shop house/structure/dwelling and driving while license suspended. Genovese was also arrested for violation of probation.
Both were booked at the Sumter County Detention Center.
Last month, five people were arrested at a problem home in the Village of Palo Alto.