Five More Sentenced To Federal Prison In Operation Sooner Or Later
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement (DEA), Miami Field Division, and Robert E. O’Neill, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, announced today that U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan sentenced five additional individuals for their roles in an international drug trafficking conspiracy. Dubbed "Operation Sooner or Later," this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task (OCDETF) operation targeted international cocaine trafficking from Mexico to the Middle District of Florida and Oxycodone trafficking from the Middle District of Florida to Kentucky. Out of the 47 individuals indicted under this investigation, 41 have been apprehended and convicted. Five of the final individuals were sentenced over the previous two weeks. Three individuals - Freddie Lamar (37, Jacksonville - 13 years; 3 months in federal prison), Francisco Avila-(24, Sinaloa, Mexico and Ocala, Florida - 10 years in federal prison), and Tavaris (32, Ocala, Florida - 4 years in federal prison) were sentenced on charges emanating from conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine. Two others - Yosvani Rodriguez-(40, Ocala) and Florencio (47, Ocala) were sentenced to 6 years and 2 months in federal prison, respectively, for conspiracy to distribute Oxycodone.
Operation Sooner or Later began in March 2010, in Ocala, Florida. The investigation revealed that Francisco Avila-Carrillo and Ernesto Avila-Carrillo were part of a drug trafficking group that obtained large quantities of cocaine from various sources of supply, including a network of Mexican cocaine distributors. That cocaine was then redistributed from locations in Marion County to cocaine traffickers in Ocala, Jacksonville, Tampa, and South Georgia.
From 2007 through 2009, Valentine worked, at various times with Rembert and others to obtain amounts of up to 15 kilograms of cocaine from Francisco Avila-Carrillo for re-distribution in Marion, Putnam and Duval County, Florida. In late 2009, Valentine was sentenced for violation of his federal probation and introduced co-conspirator Pernell (previously sentenced to 41 months in federal prison) to Francisco Avila-Carrillo for the purpose of continuing the Jacksonville end of the cocaine distribution. In late June 2010, Francisco Avila-Carrillo, Singleton and other co-conspirators were arrested and Francisco Avila-Carrillo and Valentine admitted to having distributed in excess of 150 kilograms of cocaine during the previous two years.
The investigation also revealed that in March 2010, Francisco Avila-Carrillo and Florencio Cisneros worked together to obtain between 1,000 and 3,000 Oxycodone (30 mg) from Yosvani Rodriguez-Padron and another supplier. The prices of the pills ranged from $6.70 to $8.00 each. Cisneros then redistributed those pills to other Oxycodone dealers in Kentucky for between $11.00 and $15.00 per pill. The amount of pills involved in the conspiracy totaled between 7,000 and 9,000.
This operation resulted in the seizure of $1.1 million in cash, more than $750,000 worth of real property, vehicles valued at more than $200,000, and 45 firearms.
This investigation was conducted by the DEA Jacksonville District Office.
