DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – After numerous complaints about the Best Southern Sun Plaza motel alleging drug activity from neighbors, Daytona Beach police say they shut down a drug operation happening in plain sight of the business owner and manager.
A Daytona Beach police unit known as Problem Oriented Policing, or POP, performed a raid on the South Ridgewood Avenue motel Sunday, ultimately arresting three people and seizing guns, drugs and cash, according to a news release.
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With a search warrant, POP and SWAT units seized marijuana, methamphetamine and MDMA, along with real and fake currency, ammonization and other drug paraphernalia, police said.
The items were seized from a room rented out by Erica Mulcahy, 28. She was arrested and charged with misdemeanor charges, according to Daytona Beach police Patrol Capt. Scott Lee, who oversees the POP unit. Mulcahy also faces public nuisance charges, resisting arrest and possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.
“This motel has been a popular spot for drug users looking to purchase narcotics,” Lee said. “We’ve received all kinds of complaints about the Sun Plaza for quite some time from people who live in the area. It was time to do something about it.”
Both the owner, Fredrick Hoffman, 69, and the hotel manager, Dennis Kinziera, 63, were also charged. Both men face a felony charge of keeping a public nuisance structure for drug activity.
Lee said both men knew what was going on.
“It’s clear that both Hoffman and Kindziera knew about the Sun Plaza being a haven for drugs and neither one of them did anything about it,” Lee said. “We won’t tolerate property owners or managers who let this kind of behavior slide.”
A week ago a similar raid was conducted by POP and SWAT units at another motel on North Atlantic Avenue, the Camellia Motel, where 7 were arrested, according to police.
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