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The war on drugs just saw another battle won by law enforcement in Florida.
Three men living in Hillsborough County were arrested and charged with trafficking in fentanyl.
The investigation, conducted by multiple law enforcement agencies, resulted in the seizure of 10 kilograms of the highly addictive opioid worth approximately $2.5 million.
“10 kilograms is enough fentanyl to kill 5 million people if taken in overdose amounts,” Grady Judd, Sheriff of Polk County said in a statement.
“These drugs are extremely dangerous, and the people bringing them across an unsecure border are evil.
“Of the three men arrested during this investigation, two are in the country illegally and the Sinaloa Cartel drug trafficking organization is the source of supply for this poison,” Judd continued.
“I am very thankful for our local, state, and national law enforcement partners, including state prosecutors Mr. Haas and Ms. Lopez, for working together to make this a successful investigation.”
The illegal drugs were reportedly brought into the United States by the Sinaloa Cartel to Compton, California, which then made their way to Riverview, Florida and then Polk County.
“The investigation was initiated in the month of September, with Polk County Sheriff’s Office detectives acting in an undercover capacity working with Florida Department of Law Enforcement special agents,” the statement from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office explained.
“Detectives made contact with a suspected drug trafficker, Juan Manuel Gutierrez Medina, who resides in Riverview, FL. Detectives arranged to purchase large quantities of Fentanyl with Medina. During the investigation, detectives completed drug transactions with Medina, Ruperto Rocha, and Juan Gutierrez Contreras.
Authorities know from where the drugs originated as Gutierrez Medina was tracked traveling to Compton California, and then back to Florida.
The Florida Highway Patrol arrested him in Suwannee County on October 18, 2023, on his way back to Florida.
One of the three men who were arrested one had already been deported back to Mexico twice since November of 2020.