Thirteen individuals were arrested during an operation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and local law enforcement agencies that led to over $3,000,000 in cocaine and fentanyl being seized.
Led by the DEA, on Tuesday, August 9, thirteen men were arrested by multiple police departments across Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties as part of “Operation Titan Fall.” The men are being charged with conspiring with each other to distribute nearly 100 kilograms of cocaine, which carries a street value of over $3,000,000.
Among those charged were Alexander Acosta-Zapata and Frank Cadiz, who are both facing 15 years to life in prison, and up to a $20 million fine each. The men are being accused of possessing and attempting to distribute 10 kilograms of cocaine and 400 grams of fentanyl, according to court records.
A slew of other individuals will face enhanced charges because of prior convictions, including Jonathan Andres Marte-Rodriguez, Juan Felipe Sanchez, Nimesh Rashmikant Patel, Joseph Juan Torres-Torres, Carlos Alberto Roman, and Kenneth Angel Vera.
The DEA estimates that 91 kilograms of cocaine were seized through the mail and traffic stops initiated during the investigation. Authorities say that intercepted communications frequently made reference to the drug ring’s “brands” or “logos”: A blue anchor and a Ferrari.
Those logos were found on the packages that were seized by police.
While executing arrest and search warrants across the Orlando area on Tuesday, authorities seized an additional two and a half kilograms of cocaine and an unquantified amount of fentanyl.
In addition to drugs, more than twenty firearms, six suppressors, two flash grenades, and nine vehicles were seized by authorities who say they were being used in the commission of crimes.
During their investigation, the DEA worked closely with multiple local agencies, including police departments in Winter Garden, Kissimmee, Apopka, Ocoee, Clermont, and sheriff’s offices in Osceola, Orange and Seminole counties.