Federal indictment charges 12 people in Central Florida, Puerto Rico and South Carolina with murder and drug trafficking

A sweeping indictment has charged 12 individuals in Central Florida, Puerto Rico and South Carolina with serious federal offenses, including murder, drug trafficking, money laundering and weapons violations, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg. The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges the operation involved cocaine and fentanyl, with drug sales fueling a cycle of retaliation and violence that culminated in a cold-blooded murder.

The charges detail a years-long conspiracy that saw agents traffic drugs and commit a murder as part of the illicit enterprise on August 3, 2021, the latter a revenge killing against an individual at a stash house. Almodovar is accused of executing a figure involved in the death of one of the organization’s lookouts with a bullet to the back of the head. The investigation uncovered schemes to launder the proceeds through real estate transactions and government loan fraud. Evidence presented in the indictments suggests that the acquisition of properties was often done under false pretenses, with accused individuals such as Limery Dones and Franco, Flores Morales and Contreras allegedly manipulating banking and loan systems to disguise the source of their financing — drug trafficking — these maneuvers included the manipulation of mortgage applications and the abuse of federal assistance programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program to bolster their financial front.

The wide-ranging investigation, which spans multiple agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation, reveals a pattern of organized crime activity that attempted to disguise illicit transactions under the guise of legitimate business. While the charges at this stage represent only formal allegations, with the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, the strength of the multi-agency effort reflects a concerted drive to disrupt criminal enterprises that traffic in narcotics and financial deception.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dan Baeza and Michael Buchanan are leading the prosecution of this case, which falls under the prosecutorial umbrella of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. The OCDETF’s primary mission is to dismantle the operations of high-level drug traffickers and money launderers, gangs and transnational offenders, and this prosecution is a significant blow against such networks, according to official sources. With more than $6.5 million in funds identified as related to the litany of crimes, the fallout from this case may serve as a warning to similar operations lurking in the shadows of legitimate industries.