WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — There are some major victories to report in the war on drugs, as the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office says they are taking down a network of dealers who are transporting narcotics across county lines and putting our families at risk.

A group of suspects has just been rounded up with ties to Palm Beach, Martin and Broward County. According to the arrest report, which is over 130 pages long, these guys are openly operating a drug trafficking operation that has been running for “many years”.

Investigators had them under surveillance at their homes and places where they met with clients.

Sheriff’s detectives and the US Drug Enforcement Administration say they have gathered enough evidence to put Gerald Bielen, 46, Jerry Shuler, 44, Smith Leon Cooper, 47, and Trent Watkins, 52, behind bars.

They face charges of racketeering, conspiracy and drug trafficking.

According to the arrest report, over the course of 11 months, undercover agents bought more than 200 grams of cocaine from Bielen.

Detectives say Bielen, Shuler and Watkins were part of an “ongoing criminal enterprise” that trafficked illegal drugs, including cocaine, fentanyl, oxycodone and Adderall.

Detectives say, “Although the enterprise does not have a detailed structure, such as a list of corporate officers, it appears from the investigation that Bielen is established as a top-level narcotics trafficker. . . .”

During the course of the investigation, agents made numerous undercover drug purchases from group members, monitored their phone conversations and searched their trash to gather evidence, and conducted surveillance with agents on the ground and also aerial surveillance using a helicopter.

Some of these guys are no strangers to law enforcement. The arrest report says Shuler was previously convicted of drug trafficking and served 15 years in prison.

When he got out and went back to business, PBSO says, profits soared — into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“The societal impact of drugs is profound,” said Dr. Rachel Needle, licensed psychologist in West Palm Beach.

Dr. Needle is a member of the State Attorneys Addiction Recovery Task Force.

“We are essentially the substance use disorder treatment capital of the world,” said Dr. Needle.

She says illegal narcotics are causing immeasurable damage in South Florida.

“We see a lot of things, physical and mental health consequences, crime and public safety, the economic burdens of it, the impact on family and relationships,” explained Dr. Needle.

President-elect Trump says he will prioritize stopping fentanyl pouring into the country from across our borders. He says he will impose tariffs on China and Mexico if those governments don’t do more to intervene.