Gang members arrested for synthetic drugs in Broward and Miami-Dade

MIAMI – Federal prosecutors in Miami are handling cases in which a dozen suspects – including members of the Mexican Mafia and the MS-13 and Sur-13 gangs – are charged with trafficking highly addictive synthetic drugs in South Florida, filings show.

Files show that investigators charged Honduran-born Edgar “Diablo” Garcia-Velasquez with possession of a mixture of fentanyl and approximately 50 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

According to an indictment, Garcia-Velasquez, 34, did not act alone. Federal and local investigators from several 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. They come from five counties: Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Lee, Polk and Hendry.

The four from California are Francisco “Casper” Rangel, Jose “Stranger” Puga, Felipe “Wicked” Gonzalez and Gabriela Rodriguez-Carrillo.

A trio – Martinez-Vazquez, 34, of Miami-Dade County, and Rodriguez-Carrillo, 42, and Puga, 45 – are said to have worked with both the methamphetamine and the fentanyl-containing mixture.

Gutierrez, 28, of Miami-Dade County is believed to have helped the trio with the methamphetamine. Portillo, also known as “Shadow,” 35, and Gutierrez, 28, both of Miami-Dade County, are believed to have helped with the help of 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 September 12. Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration in Miami, FBI agents in Miami, Los Angeles and Fort Myers, and agents from Homeland Security Investigations in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers and Los Angeles were involved in the investigation.

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 prosecuting the cases.