Reported by Kelli Cook 

OCALA -- Police collected loads of evidence in a case only to purposely let the criminals go back on the streets.

"I can't, I can't get busted up in here," the dealer said.

It's an air-tight case. Video of undercover Ocala police officers making a drug deal with some of the most well-known crack cocaine drug dealers in this neighborhood.

Police have mountains of evidence -- video, pictures and eyewitnesses.

They rounded up 11 dealers. One is already convicted, four await trial, but 6 of them, police let them walk free with one promise.

"Essentially the deal was stop dealing today and walk away from it and essentially that's it," said Sgt. Corey Taylor of the Ocala Police Department.

Sounds unconventional? Well it gets better.

The drug dealers had to show up for a meeting at the police station and look at all the evidence police had mounted against them.

The listened to the state attorney, former drug dealers and police officers and then authorities offered them an ultimatum: either get out the drug game or face serious jail time.

"These people that were given a second chance, like we mentioned earlier, we have hard evidence on them, if they choose to squander this opportunity and go back to do what they were doing, they are going to face the full penalty of the law."

It's all apart of a Drug Market Intervention program, offering dealers help through counseling and educational opportunities. It's had major success in other cities.

But the program is about more than just individual drug dealers. It is about a community here that is known for being a high crime area. They need neighbors to speak up to change that.

"They have to be willing to come out of their front step and look at that dealer and say 'you need to move from out in front of my house,' " Taylor said.

Weeks have now passed, and so far the program appears to be working. None of the former dealers have returned to old, bad habits.

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