Authorities in South Florida have arrested five individuals following a two-year investigation into a fentanyl distribution operation spanning multiple locations in Broward County.
According to an arrest warrant, special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), working alongside deputies from the Broward Sheriff’s Office, began investigating brothers Anand and Sunil Someria for their alleged role in distributing fentanyl. Investigators identified a first-floor apartment at 10747 S Preserve Way in Miramar as a “trap house” used by the brothers and an associate, Richarles Lake.
Anand Someria, 23, was taken into custody on Wednesday in Broward County. Authorities also linked the group to a separate “stash house” at the Avant Apartments, located at 1605 SW 116th Ave. in Pembroke Pines.
Law enforcement officials reported conducting multiple undercover controlled purchases in recent months, during which pressed fentanyl pills were allegedly bought from the Someria brothers.
The investigation culminated on Thursday when an undercover agent arranged to purchase 8,000 fentanyl pills for $16,000 from Sunil Someria, according to court records.
Surveillance detailed Anand Someria driving to a storage facility on Miramar Parkway, retrieving a black bag, and placing it into the trunk of a silver Hyundai Sonata. Shortly after, Sunil Someria met with the undercover agent at the Miramar apartment before both traveled separately to the Pembroke Pines location.
At that location, the agent entered a vehicle with Sunil Someria and observed two additional suspects—Charles Randall, 58, and Jonathan Randall, 20—inside the car. According to the warrant, Jonathan Randall instructed his father to open the trunk, after which Sunil Someria retrieved the bag containing the pills. The agent then exchanged $16,000 in cash before leaving the scene.
Authorities later arrested the Randall pair at a residence in Pembroke Pines, while the Someria brothers and Lake were apprehended at the Miramar apartment.
All five suspects remained in custody at the Broward County Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale as of Friday morning under a U.S. Marshals Service hold. They face charges of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, including carfentanil.
Court records indicate the suspects were scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate judge on Friday. A detention hearing is set for March 23, with arraignment scheduled for April 2.
