A federal grand jury in Miami has returned a superseding indictment charging 24 defendants with conspiring to traffic large quantities of cocaine in and around Miami-Dade County and elsewhere in South Florida, federal prosecutors announced.
The eight-count indictment, unsealed Tuesday, alleges that the defendants operated a large-scale and violent drug trafficking enterprise that distributed multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine and was linked to a planned murder-for-hire scheme.
Those charged include Bienvenido Leo Rodriguez, 73; Roberto Rodriguez, 52; Alberto Leandro Curiel, 72; Pedro Gonzalez Alvarez, 48; Claudio Alberto Barrios, 55, of Miami Beach; Raimundo Antonio Roca-Naranjo, 72, of Miami Lakes; Roberto Jimenez, 53; Luis Alejandro Salcedo Rey, 54; Rolando Rodriguez Lugo, 57; Diego Diaz De La Cruz, 47; Lucia Cuadrado, 65, of Hialeah; Jorge Mahique Pareta, 64, of Hialeah; Miguel Marquez Romero, 29, of Naples; Heinrich Castillo Diaz, 47; Jose Arnaldo Bermudez Jr., 42; Paulo Sabon Montero, 54, of Naples; Valerio Alvarez Abreu, 73, of Hialeah; Santos Saavedra, 81; Eustaquio Luis Cardoso Veliz, 63; Glenis Perez Martinez, 54; Yovanis Fernandez, 51, of Hialeah; Manuel Nuez, 55; Livan Padron Duque, 49; and Jorge Falla, 50.
“These defendants are alleged to have operated a violent drug trafficking enterprise that planned a murder for hire and smuggled kilograms of cocaine into the United States,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. He said violent drug organizations fuel addiction and instability in American communities and will be aggressively prosecuted.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said the case reflects months of coordinated investigative work by federal agents and the City of Miami Police Department.
“Investigators disrupted a network that moved multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine, trafficked in cash and firearms, and posed a real threat to public safety,” Reding Quiñones said, adding that the seizures and early intervention helped prevent further violence.
According to court records, law enforcement seized approximately seven kilograms of cocaine on April 1 and an additional 10 kilograms on May 27 during the investigation. Agents also recovered large sums of cash and firearms from multiple residences.
From Bienvenido Rodriguez’s home, authorities seized $58,214 in cash and two firearms. From Roca-Naranjo’s residence, agents recovered $62,520 in cash, two firearms, and more than 100 rounds of ammunition. Roca-Naranjo, a previously convicted felon, is additionally charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation seeking the seizure of proceeds and property tied to the alleged crimes.
If convicted, 12 defendants face up to life in prison, while others face maximum sentences ranging from 20 to 40 years, depending on the charges.
The investigation also uncovered and disrupted a murder-for-hire plot in Fort Myers, according to court documents filed in the Middle District of Florida. Prosecutors allege that between April 16 and 17, Marquez Romero and Sabon Montero discussed killing an individual for up to $30,000. Investigators learned that the intended victim’s brother had hired a co-conspirator to carry out the killing.
On April 17, the conspirators met in a grocery store parking lot in Naples to discuss the plan and were apprehended by the FBI with assistance from law enforcement partners.
The case is being investigated by the FBI Miami Field Office in conjunction with the City of Miami Police Department.
