The number of drug-trafficking arrests made by Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office deputies has more than doubled over the last three years, according to data recently released by the agency.

In 2015, deputies made 11 arrests related to drug-trafficking, and in 2018, that number jumped to 27. And as of this March, deputies had already arrested 10 individuals on trafficking charges in Santa Rosa County.

That spike led Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson to announce plans last month to create a new drug interdiction unit to nab drug traffickers who drive the county’s thoroughfares.

“Any interstate and highway can be used to traffic drugs,” said Sgt. Rich Aloy, SRSO spokesman. “We will target any corridor where drugs can be moved through.”

The March 25 announcement followed a weekend in which SRSO deputies made multiple drug arrests. The sheriff said that he had witnessed a steady increase in narcotics-related arrests since being elected in 2016.

The trafficking-related arrests primarily stem from drugs classified as opioids or amphetamines.

Deputies made only one arrest in both 2015 and 2018 on charges related to heroin trafficking. But Aloy said the agency has seen a recent increase in heroin-related cases.

“We need to continue making an impact on the amount of drugs in Santa Rosa County,” Aloy said. “Drugs are a major underlying cause of crime. If we reduce the illegal narcotics, crime will also drop.”

The exact start date for the new interdiction unit and details about their tactics have not been released.

Aloy said sharing tactics and specific strategies with the public would be counterproductive because it would alerting traffickers to law enforcement officers' plans.

“The unit is not intended to be a more successful approach. It will complement our already existing strategies and tactics,” Aloy said. “Any interstate and highway can be used to traffic drugs. We will target any corridor where drugs can be moved through.”

Colin Warren-Hicks can be reached at colinwarrenhicks@pnj.com or 850-435-8680.