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HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — Thirty-three people were arrested, and enough fentanyl to kill nearly a million people were seized thanks to a six-month investigation that dismantled a major drug enterprise in Florida.
“This wasn’t just a few people selling drugs,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “This was a network, a business built on death, addiction, and illegal profit.”
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) said the operation followed a six-month investigation led by the HCSO Major Violators Section, in collaboration with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Orlando.
“Our joint success in dismantling this network is further proof of how our existing partnerships are strengthened and effective with help from the S.A.F.E. grant program,” FDLE Tampa Bay Special Agent in Charge Mark Brutnell said.
Authorities said that they discovered that the drug group had direct connections to a network in Puerto Rico, which was responsible for smuggling fentanyl and cocaine into Florida, primarily through Orlando. From there, these drugs were distributed across Hillsborough County and neighboring areas.
According to HCSO, the key figures in the operation were identified as two brothers: Fernando Elias Rosario Torres, 32, who is currently serving time at Federal Prison Camp Pensacola, and Elias Xavier Rosario Torres, 26, who is held at Graceville Correctional Facility. They were found to be coordinating drug distribution in Hillsborough County using contraband cellphones smuggled into their prisons.
The investigation also revealed that their parents, Elias Rosario Negron, 59, and Enid Torres Berrios, 59, were actively involved in the drug enterprise, leading to their arrests as well.
Overall, HCSO said that 33 suspects were apprehended in connection with the operation. Most of them face serious trafficking charges related to fentanyl, cocaine, or methamphetamine. Additionally, 11 individuals are facing RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) charges.
Detectives said that they seized around two kilograms of fentanyl, which could have potentially prevented 931,000 overdose deaths, along with two kilograms of cocaine and eight ounces of methamphetamine. Authorities also confiscated two fentanyl presses used for making counterfeit pills, five firearms, and $11,257 in cash.