Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced charges Monday against 19 individuals connected to a massive drug trafficking organization distributing fentanyl during a news conference in Orlando.
“There are swift consequences for those who commit crimes in Florida, and we will support law enforcement in the fight to keep deadly fentanyl off our streets,” Uthmeier said in a release. “This operation was successful due to the SAFE Grant program, which provides additional state funding to local law enforcement to conduct investigations and combat illicit fentanyl activity. These operations save lives, and SAFE Grants are vital to these efforts.”
According to the release, the Office of Statewide Prosecution charged the individuals with trafficking in fentanyl, trafficking in cocaine, conspiracy to traffic in fentanyl, and conspiracy to traffic in cocaine.
Authorities arrested the following people: Juan Carlos Oquendo, Luis Perez Guzman, Kendrick Butler, Jose Rodriguez, Wilfredo Hernandez, Denniz Andino, Jr., Edward De La Cruz Perez, McKenzie Debardeleben, Anamaria Carrasquero, Luis Galarza, Herman Toledo, Xuxa Sanes, Brian Nazario, Molly Wilson, Juan Gonzalez, Nolan Lavery, III, and Jose Ortiz.
Two individuals, David Santana and Valerie Multari, are still outstanding.
Overseen by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Orange County Sheriff's Office, all 19 members are accused of selling fentanyl and cocaine in the Central Florida region. In all, the operation seized six pounds of fentanyl and four pounds of cocaine, worth a total of $1.5 million.
State Assistance for Fentanyl Eradication (SAFE) grants were established in 2023. Over the past year, the grant program has resulted in more than 1,500 arrests and the seizure of over 170 kilograms of fentanyl and more than 57,000 fentanyl pills.
