DEA Miami Field Division Along With The Attorney General Of Florida Announce Arrests Of International Drug Traffickers
ORLANDO, Fla. - Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement (DEA), Miami Field Division, Pam Bondi, Attorney General of Florida, announced the arrest of members of an international drug trafficking organization for their involvement in a drug smuggling ring spanning from South America to New York.
This week, DEA agents from the Orlando District Office served arrest warrants in Puerto Rico, Orlando and New York, arresting 10 members of a drug trafficking organization and seizing cocaine, heroin, money, vehicles and guns. The conspirators were trafficking large amounts of cocaine and heroin from South America, through Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, into Florida, Massachusetts and New York.
Angel Maldonado Gonzalez is the alleged leader of the organization and lived part-time in New York and Puerto Rico. An investigation by the DEA and other federal organizations, including the United States Postal Service, revealed that Gonzalez and his co-conspirators were sealing cocaine and drug money in cans and utilizing the United States Postal Service to transport the drugs undetected.
"The Gonzalez drug smuggling organization ran a highly sophisticated business while it lasted. Now they will face justice in multiple jurisdictions. The DEA is committed to working with our federal and state law enforcement partners to combat the drug dealers who unfortunately infect so many communities," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Mark R. Trouville. "The DEA would like to thank Attorney General Bondi and the Office of Statewide Prosecution for being such a prominent and loyal partner in our efforts to disrupt and dismantle these drug traffickers and stem the violence associated with their illegal activities."
"This case is the result of a tremendous collaborative effort to dismantle an international drug ring, and my Office of Statewide Prosecution will work closely with the DEA, the U.S. Postal Service, and others to prosecute these individuals," said Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Eight guns, including an AK-47, were seized while serving the arrest warrants, along with four kilograms of cocaine and 46 grams of heroin. Agents also confiscated $95,000 in cash and five vehicles.
This investigation was led by the DEA Miami Field Division and the Office of Statewide Prosecution, with the assistance of the DEA's Caribbean Division, New England Field Division, New York Field Division, United States Postal Inspectors Office, and the United States Attorney's Office.
Those arrested include; Harry Neives, Jaime Reyes Suro, Rosa Lydia Velaquez, Roberto Rios, Jr., Roberto Rios, Sr., Erickson Leandry, Jose Renando Rivera-Marin, Lissette Nunez Pabon, Angel Maldonado Gonzalez and Jose Rivera.
The charging document is merely an accusation and the defendants are assumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
