MIAMI — A federal grand jury in Miami has indicted 24 individuals in connection with a sprawling cocaine trafficking operation in South Florida. The superseding indictment, recently unsealed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, details a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of cocaine throughout Miami-Dade County, including plans for murder-for-hire and smuggling activities.
The indictment spans a wide age range of defendants, including 73-year-old Bienvenido Leo Rodriguez and 72-year-old Alberto Leandro Curiel, underscoring the broad reach of the operation.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division emphasized the danger posed by such networks: “Violent drug trafficking organizations fuel addiction, violence and instability in American communities. The Criminal Division will aggressively pursue drug trafficking organizations that use drugs to poison our citizens and violence to protect their profits.”
Seizures and Evidence
Law enforcement seized approximately seven kilograms of cocaine on April 1 and an additional 10 kilograms on May 27. Significant cash and firearms were also confiscated from defendants’ homes. From the residence of 72-year-old Raimundo Antonio Roca-Naranjo, agents recovered over $62,500 in cash, two firearms, and ammunition. Roca-Naranjo, a previously convicted felon, faces additional charges for firearm and ammunition possession.
Multi-Agency Investigation
The investigation involved close collaboration between federal and local agencies, including the FBI and the City of Miami Police Department. U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones highlighted the critical partnership that enabled multiple seizures and thwarted further acts of violence. On April 17, individuals allegedly plotting a murder-for-hire in a Naples grocery store parking lot were apprehended as part of the operation.
The prosecution is being led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Emery and Trial Attorneys from the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section. This case falls under the Homeland Security Task Force’s initiative to dismantle criminal organizations threatening U.S. security.
Court documents are available via the Southern District of Florida’s website or PACER under case number 25-cr-20253. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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