Texas man guilty of trafficking 2,000 grams cocaine in Lee County
A Texas man has been found guilty of trafficking 2,000 grams of cocaine in Lee County.
Baldomero Alanis Jr., 44, was arrested in 2023 for his involvement in a drug smuggling operation that was operating out of Texas and Mexico and being run by a large-scale drug trafficker named Juan Manuel Lopez, aka "Pac-Man," officials said.
The Cape Coral Police Department, in conjunction with the Office of the State Attorney Twentieth Judicial Circuit's Narcotics Enforcement Task Force investigated Lopez for seven months with the cooperation of a confidential informant, according to an arrest report by the Cape Coral Police.
More: Jury finds Lee County drug-trafficker guilty after 2022 sting
The informant orchestrated a multi-kilogram cocaine transaction to obtain approximately 40 kilos of cocaine from Lopez.
With information from the informant, police officers followed Lopez from the Miami International Airport to a truck stop in North Fort Myers.
The informant told officers that someone would be meeting Lopez at the truck stop to obtain the cocaine that Lopez brought from Texas to Florida.
Alanis was driving a white semi-truck and, when he failed to stop at a stop sign, Lee County Sheriff's Office deputies conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. Lopez also failed to stop at the same stop sign.
Open-air sniff tests by K9s gave positive alerts to the presence of narcotics, leading to searches of both vehicles. There were no narcotics in the rental car Lopez was driving, according to the arrest report.
However, a search warrant led to officers finding approximately 2,000 grams of cocaine in Alanis' truck. This gave officers probable cause to arrest Alanis and Lopez.
At the time of his arrest, Alanis was using a supposed shipping company as a front for his involvement in the transport of cocaine, deputies said. He pretended he was delivering fruit and other commodities with the truck, according to the state attorney's office.
Lopez was already tried, found guilty and sentenced in to 36 months in prison for trafficking cocaine.
The NETFORCE operation that led to Alanis's arrest was formed by the state attorney's office to coordinate a circuit-wide approach to infiltrating and dismantling drug trafficking organizations, organized crime, racketeering and money-laundering enterprises in Southwest Florida.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Cocaine trafficker found guilty for transporting drugs in Lee County
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
14 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Aggressive ICE raids, CPD cooperation denounced at Lower West Side rally
Immigration advocates rallied Sunday for an end to aggressive U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Chicago and denounced the alleged cooperation of Chicago police in arrests made Wednesday. The rally, which drew dozens of people to a plaza at the corner of Blue Island Avenue and Loomis Street, follows nationwide protests during the past week over the Trump administration's revamped mass deportation efforts. Trump has deployed the California National Guard in Los Angeles following two consecutive days of protests over immigration enforcement actions and clashes between demonstrators and authorities. Chicago and other liberal-leaning cities appear to continue to be a focal point for the Trump administration in its immigration crackdown. 'I'm proud to be an immigrant, and we are not criminals,' said Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, whose ward includes the Lower West Side. 'We saw the shameful events in our city early this week, and we continue to see the shameful actions in Los Angeles. Full solidarity to all the people in L.A., all the oppressed people who are fighting for dignity and respect.' Light rain in the forecast did not dampen the spirits of demonstrators, who led a march down Cermak Road following the rally, ending at Benito Juarez Community Academy. Last week, protesters, local organizers and aldermen — including Sigcho-Lopez — clashed with immigration officials outside a U.S. Customs and Immigration office in the South Loop, where immigrants were told to come to a check-in appointment at the office. Many did not come out for hours. Organizers estimate that around 20 people were detained Wednesday. ICE did not respond to requests to confirm the number of people detained. 'These are people that are doing everything that the U.S. is saying that they should be doing to become a citizen and to be able to stay in this country,' Omar Flores, chair of the Immigrant Rights Working Committee of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, said Sunday. 'And we are arresting them for it. It is leaving them in a position where it is a catch-22, where they have no option but to be deported.' In Pilsen last Monday, federal agents arrested two residents who work at a local business near the 1800 block of South Carpenter Street. Agents failed to properly identify themselves or present arrest warrants in those incidents, according to Sigcho-Lopez and local rapid response teams. Little Village residents also spotted ICE agents on the corner of Troy and 27th streets Tuesday. Flores said that rapid response teams received word of suspicious vehicles in Little Village and acted accordingly, observing the ICE agents and having lawyers on-site. Organizers who were at Wednesday's demonstration alleged that the Chicago Police Department was collaborating with ICE in the raid despite Chicago's Welcoming City Ordinance, which largely prevents local law enforcement from working with federal immigration authorities. Chicago police deny they aided federal agents. Tom Ahern, spokesperson for CPD, previously stated that officers present Wednesday spoke with individuals inside a building and in a large crowd outside 'to ensure the safety of all involved, including those exercising their First Amendment rights.' 'Officers arrived without knowledge of immigration enforcement occurring at the location,' Ahern said. 'At no point did CPD assist in immigration enforcement. All actions taken by CPD during this incident were in accordance with CPD policy and the City of Chicago Municipal Code.' Members of the City Council's Latino Caucus denounced Wednesday's raid in a letter and called for a hearing to examine ICE's actions Wednesday and whether CPD cooperated with ICE in the raid. 'We condemn in the strongest terms ICE's unlawful detainment practices,' the statement from Latino Caucus members read. 'We stand united in calling for a full investigation into the conduct of ICE agents involved in this operation and for the immediate release of all individuals detained under these unlawful circumstances.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Former cop mom slams policies that let illegal alien allegedly strike son in hit-and-run: ‘A lot of problems'
A former police officer is pleading for the illegal immigrant who nearly killed her son in a hit-and-run on his 21st birthday to stop hiding and own up to his crime. "I keep saying it doesn't go back to if you're legal or illegal or any of that stuff. It's not a race thing. It is not any of that. It's called being a decent human being," Sheena Carach, the mother of Zach Carach, who is still hospitalized, told Fox News Digital. "It's about right and wrong. And if you hit someone, you stop. I mean, that's just what you do. It's inhumane not to stop. I don't care who you are. That makes you a monster." Sheena Carach's life was altered May 19 while she and her family were visiting Nashville from Florida to celebrate her son's 21st birthday. After brunch and touring Music City, she said her son was struck by a speeding car while he was attempting to cross a street, and the driver sped away. Manhunt Underway For Illegal Immigrant Wanted In Serious Nashville Hit-and-run "I can say in that moment, my heart left my body," Carach recalled. "I mean, I can clearly see myself running in the video. I know that happened. I was there, but I don't know how I was even breathing because I immediately thought I had just saw my child be killed. I thought I had lost my child. I ran to him, and I just started praying." Read On The Fox News App Weeks after his near-death encounter, Nashville police announced the suspect wanted in the case was Tony Lopez-Infante, 32, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela who remains at large. WATCH: Video shows hit-and-run crash involving illegal suspect in Nashville A spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that Lopez-Infante entered the U.S. illegally in August 2023 and "has a final order of removal." Along with the hit-and-run, police noted that Lopez-Infante has several outstanding warrants, including one in Williamson County for a probation violation for a theft arrest. Police said the vehicle involved in the accident, a Mitsubishi Mirage, was returned by Lopez-Infante, with front-end damage, to a rental business in Mt. Juliet May 19. Homeland Security shared a post on X, stating, "The Biden Administration released this illegal alien into our country in 2023. "This crime was preventable and is the direct result of open border policies that prioritized illegal aliens over the safety of American citizens." "Officers located the car there the next day, on May 20. Investigation resulted in Lopez-Infante of Venezuela being identified as the hit-and-run driver," police said. Carach said her son would "never have gotten hit" if Lopez-Infante would "not have been allowed to rent a vehicle illegally." "He rented a car in February of this year that he had until he hit my son with no driver's license, with no insurance, without a major credit card on file. I mean, I wouldn't be able to walk into a business and do that," she said, after she ran her own investigation into her son's near-fatal crash. "I have to be 25. I have to have a license. I have to have insurance. I have to have a major card to rent a vehicle, but he just did it. And he paid cash every week, $200 every single week to rent this car. So, knowingly driving without a license, knowingly driving without insurance and he was just allowed to do this. There's a lot of problems with that." Illegal Immigrant Held Without Bail In Death Of University Of South Carolina Student Carach added that what was even more frustrating was Lopez-Infante showed no concern about hitting her son. "You know what you did, and you don't care at all? And you haven't come forward. To even try to … not that you could make it right at this point, but to even say like, 'Hey, I'm sorry for what I did.' He has no remorse in my eyes. He's a monster," she said. Carach said that her son will be using a wheelchair the next two months and is hopeful there is no permanent damage. Ice Files Detainers Against 2 Illegal Aliens, Including 1 Facing Attempted Murder Charges For Shooting Spree "I will say it was a hard one for me when this first happened, and I didn't feel like things were going as they should go. And I will say … that I won't put that on the police department. I'll put that on the mayor and everything that's been brought to my attention," Carach explained. She was referring to the backlash Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell, a Democrat, has received. U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said O'Connell "condemned ICE's good work, promoted a fund to provide support dollars for illegal immigrants and their families in Nashville and even updated an executive order to fast-track the collection of all Nashville government employees' interactions with ICE." "It is indefensible that blue city mayors like Mayor O'Connell in Nashville have violated their oath of office by prioritizing illegal aliens over the law-abiding citizens they were elected to serve," Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital. "The illegal alien wanted for a hit-and-run in Nashville that left a 21-year-old man wheelchair-bound is exactly the type of person the mayor is protecting. Mayors across the country have a choice: help get these people off our streets or jeopardize the safety of their residents." O'Connell declined to comment to Fox News Digital. Law enforcement officials said that federal partners, including Homeland Security Investigations, are helping in the ongoing efforts to locate Lopez-Infante. "For us, this has just been an ongoing nightmare. To know that this guy, that we've seen his face, we know who he is, he's out there walking around free and then every single day we're sitting by our son's hospital bed," Carach said. "So, for us, it's kind of a little bit freeing, I guess, that you know they have now finally released his face to the public, and we can have that extra help in finding him."Original article source: Former cop mom slams policies that let illegal alien allegedly strike son in hit-and-run: 'A lot of problems'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Florida ex-sheriff arrested for allegedly running illegal gambling house that generated millions
A former Florida sheriff has been charged with racketeering and conspiracy after an investigation into an illegal gambling operation. Ex-Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez was arrested Thursday on first-degree felony charges over accusations he pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars and used campaign contributions to keep the alleged gambling operation afloat. "As law enforcement, we are held to higher standards of integrity and character than other professions," Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass said in a statement. "This case revealed that Lopez violated the trust and integrity expected of him as the duly elected sheriff of Osceola County." Nba Player Investigated For Allegedly Manipulating His Playing Performance To Aid Illegal Gambling Scheme Fox News Digital has reached out to the Osceola County Sheriff's Office for comment. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Lopez after his arrest and appointed a Florida Highway Patrol officer, Christopher Blackmon, as interim sheriff. Lopez was elected in November 2020. Read On The Fox News App Lopez pleaded not guilty Friday to the charges, and he was given a $1 million bond, according to Fox 35. San Bernardino Sheriff's Deputy Arrested On Felony Weapons Charges, Accused Of Ties To Outlaw Biker Gang Prosecutors alleged Friday that Lopez took in as much as $700,000 while operating the illegal business, which included slot machines, a lottery and a "gambling house" out of a business called the Fusion Social Club in Kissimmee. Lopez remained in custody as of Friday afternoon, and he is next expected in court June 30. The illegal gambling operation allegedly generated more than $21.6 million over the years. In addition to Lopez, four others — Ying Zhang, Sharon Fedrick, Sheldon Wetherholt and Carol Cote — face the same racketeering and conspiracy charges. Osceola County is not implicated in the investigation. The Associated Press contributed to this article source: Florida ex-sheriff arrested for allegedly running illegal gambling house that generated millions
