MIAMI, Fla. – Federal prosecutors in Miami are handling cases involving a dozen suspects, including members of the Mexican Mafia and the MS-13 and Sur-13 gangs, for trafficking highly addictive synthetic drugs in South Florida.
Records show investigators charged Edgar “Diablo” Garcia-Velasquez, a native of Honduras, with possession with intent to distribute a mixture containing fentanyl and approximately 50 grams of methamphetamine in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
According to an indictment, Garcia-Velasquez, 34, was not working alone. Federal and local investigators from multiple agencies worked together to identify 11 other co-conspirators, including seven from Florida and four from California.
The defendants in Florida are Jose “LaBomba3″ Hernandez, Loupe “L3g3nd” Loredo, Hugo “Houdini” Cruz, Luis “Sombra” Portillo, Rafael “Rafy” Gutierrez, Malinda Martinez and Karina Martinez-Vazquez, who hail from five counties: Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Lee, Polk and Hendry.
The California Four are Francisco “Casper” Rangel, Jose “Stranger″ Puga, Felipe “Wicked” Gonzalez and Gabriela Rodriguez-Carrillo.
A trio — Martinez-Vazquez, 34, of Miami-Dade County; Rodriguez-Carrillo, 42; and Puga, 45 — allegedly worked with both methamphetamine and the mixture containing fentanyl.
Gutierrez, 28, of Miami-Dade County, allegedly helped the trio with the methamphetamine. Portillo, also known as “Shadow,” 35, and Gutierrez, 28, both of Miami-Dade County, assisted with help from Martinez, 42, of Fort Myers in Lee County, and Loredo, 39, of Lake Wales in Polk County.
Prosecutors announced Friday that the arrests of the 12 defendants began on Sept. 12. The investigation involved Drug Enforcement Administration agents in Miami; FBI agents in Miami, Los Angeles and Fort Myers; and Homeland Security Investigations agents in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers and Los Angeles.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Miami and Fort Lauderdale also worked on the cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bertila Fernandez is handling the cases.
