LAKE WORTH, Texas — Editor's note: The above video previously aired following the drug bust in May 2022.
A North Texas man has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison after pleading guilty in connection to the largest drug bust in Lake Worth Police Department history.
Jon “Spanky” Curb was arrested on May 20, 2022, after detectives launched an undercover investigation called “Operation Safe Neighborhood,” executing a search warrant at Curb’s home in the 6600 block of Lakeside Drive.
While inside the home, officers and detectives discovered a pill press, numerous drug paraphernalia items in plain view, 11 guns, two homemade suppressors and about 3.75 kilograms of drugs and precursor chemicals, the Lake Worth Police Department said.
Police said the drugs seized were estimated at $2,285,250 in street value – 72 times larger than average operations.
Police also told WFAA that the volume of drugs seized represented an estimated “11,721 lethal doses.”
Curb initially was charged with two counts of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance and booked into the Tarrant County jail.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Forth Worth District Office took over the case, and Curb was later indicted and federally-arrested for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, officials said.
On May 16, 2023, Curb pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Fort Worth and was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison.
“This arrest and federal sentence sends a clear message – if you sell drugs in our community, you will be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Lake Worth Police Chief J.T. Manoushaigan said.
“I’m grateful for the partnership we have with DEA and extend my deepest appreciation to the DEA Fort Worth District Office for their assistance with this case,” he said.