SWAT teams burst into seven houses simultaneously in Gainesville on Friday morning, arrested 13 people and seized drugs, drug ledgers and cash in “Operation Thunderbolt,” a cooperative effort that involved Gainesville, Denton and Lewisville police, Denton County sheriff’s deputies and several other agencies.

Sheriff’s Capt. Jeff Wawro, who supervises detectives, narcotics and several special operations units in Denton County, said the officers seized 3 ounces of crack cocaine with a street value of $8,000, 1 ounce of powder cocaine with a street value of $2,800, 1 1/2 pounds of marijuana with a street value of $1,500, a handgun, six vehicles and $3,000.

Sheriff’s narcotics officers agreed to assist Gainesville in the large effort and asked for help from several SWAT teams to ensure the safety of the officers and the security of the operation, Wawro said.

“This involved two interconnected families, and these people have a long history of violence toward police,” Wawro said Friday. “They have a history of throwing bottles and bricks at police, but today it worked out smoothly, and nobody was injured.”

In the fall of 2004, Gainesville police conducted a crack cocaine investigation involving several longtime residents, Wawro said. They arrested two men who are now in federal custody on conspiracy charges.

Another man took over that operation, the captain said, supplying crack to dealers in the Gainesville and Ardmore, Okla., area.

But Gainesville police did not have the resources to infiltrate the organization, he said, partly because of manpower in the smaller department and partly because the organization was so tightly knit. The department could not get an undercover officer inside to collect evidence.

“They would not deal with an outsider or anyone who was not related or anyone from Gainesville,” he said.

About two months ago, Denton County narcotics officers cultivated a cooperating witness — a reformed crack addict — who was able to infiltrate the Gainesville organization.

They met with Gainesville police and the Cooke County district attorney and began an undercover operation using the cooperating witness, Wawro said.

They bought crack from several dealers in homes and in parking lots in Gainesville.

On Thursday, officers in the joint investigation obtained 18 arrest warrants for nine defendants and search warrants for the seven houses.

About 6 a.m., approximately 80 officers stormed the seven houses. By 6:06 a.m., every unit had reported they had the houses secured and residents detained.

“If we had tried to do them one by one, some “good eye” [informant] in the neighborhood would be on the telephone and all our suspects and evidence would suddenly disappear,” Wawro said.

The level of cooperation among the agencies was exciting, he said, and unprecedented in the north central Texas area. In addition to Denton, Denton County and Lewisville narcotics officers and SWAT teams, there were officers from the University of North Texas, Flower Mound police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, an FBI special narcotics unit, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Denton County Fire Marshals Office.

Denton police Lt. Roger White, who commands the department’s SWAT team, said he was happy to help the other agencies in the operation.

“It was a really good experience. It was a really good cooperative effort, and we were glad to be able to help,” White said.

Those arrested were: Melton Myrick Stone, 50, on two charges of manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance; Johnnie O’Neal Doggins, 47, three charges of manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance, one charge of delivery of marijuana; Debbie Elaine Doggins, 44, delivery of marijuana and two charges of manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance; Jeremy Demon Harrison, 27, two charges of manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance; Kisa Latray Moore, 23, possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana; Brandon Demarh Harrison, 31, two charges of manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance; Ashley Ann Knabe, 22, manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance; Arthur Gene Jones Jr., 27, two charges of manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance; Carley Dejaun Mims, 20, manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance; Chauncey Dejon Purvey, 23, two charges of manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance; Noah Jamar Haley, 24, two charges of manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance; Shonda Kay McCray, 39, possession of a controlled substance; and Ted Terrell McCray, 35, possession of a controlled substance.

DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com.