In the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri announced more arrests Thursday after he said individuals came to the barrier islands to prey on victims of flooding and damage.

The storms swept through the region over a two-week span, forcing mandatory evacuations — including on the barrier islands. In particular, Storm Helene caused widespread flooding and damage to residents along the coast.

Gualtieri said deputies conducted robbery patrols along the barrier islands during a three-week operation from Oct. 2 to Oct. 23, according to a news release.

He said those patrols netted 45 arrests on 68 different charges ranging from armed robbery, grand theft, vandalism and trespassing.

“As Pinellas beaches recover, we will continue these patrols and arrest anyone we can who is stealing from the vulnerable victims of two back-to-back storms that have devastated our community,” Gualtieri said.

Gualtieri said many of those arrested came to the area from elsewhere.

“Of the 45 thieves and burglars we arrested, only two were from Pinellas County,” Gualtieri said. “The rest came here from outside the area to steal from our residents and businesses.”

Gualtieri adds that 41 of the suspects are not US citizens and are here illegally, mostly from Central and South American countries.

He said 196 other people were approached on the island, but deputies had no probable cause to make arrests and were told to move on.

Gualtieri also announced that 64 other people were arrested out of 102 during a three-day operation, the “Flood of Fraud” from October 22-24, which targeted unlicensed contractors operating on Madeira Beach.

“These people are just crooks and thieves and no different than the people in the neighborhoods at 3 in the morning who break into a house that I’ve been arrested,” Gualtieri said.

“Our effort to protect the community did not stop with the direct impact of these hurricanes. We are now focused on protecting our residents and our businesses who are desperate to rebuild and get on with their lives.”

While this operation only covered Madeira Beach, Gualtieri said similar reports have come in from other barrier islands.

Once again, Gualtieri said most of the people arrested during that operation were not from Pinellas County.