Ten people are facing federal prison time in connection with a cocaine trafficking operation in South Florida involving drugs supplied by a Mexican cartel and others, according to officials.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced Thursday that eight of the accused pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.
Reinaldo Fernandez, 63, was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison; Javier Garcia-Mora, 40, to 60 months; Michel Garcia, 50, to 57 months; Renier Mendez, 46, to 57 months; Elvis Alfonso, 40, to 64 months; Alfredo Miranda, 63, to 70 months; Yaniel Cardenal Frias, 32, to 75 months; and Jorge Victor Herrero Gamez, 33, to 82 months.
Alberto Gonzalez, 39, received a 60-month federal prison term after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
Daniel Gerardo Torres, 55, received a 21-month federal prison term after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess cocaine with the intent to distribute.
Authorities said the cocaine trafficking conspiracy ran in South Florida from at least September 2024 to September 2025.
Fernandez and others received the cocaine from a Mexican drug cartel and other sources, and Garcia-Mora, a Mexican national living illegally in the United States, was dispatched to Miami by cartel members to manage the operation, police said.
Garcia, Mendez, and Alfonso were couriers who moved cocaine and cash throughout the United States, while others purchased and sold cocaine.
During the investigation, law enforcement seized more than $450,000 in cocaine revenues.
“Mexican drug cartels do not get to establish a foothold in South Florida,” said U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones. “This company delivered cartel-supplied cocaine into our communities, moved drugs and bulk cash across the country, and even deployed a cartel agent to Miami to monitor its operations. Ten defendants are now heading to federal prison. Through the Homeland Security Task Force, we will continue to dismantle these networks from the cartel to the street, holding everyone accountable.”
Three suspects, Juan Miguel Torna Rojas, William Padron Perez, and Ricardo Oramas Valdes, remain at large, according to officials.
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