After a yearlong investigation into drug trafficking in east Orange County, 24 people have been arrested and six others still at large are facing charges, the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation said.
The investigation started when a convicted felon was released from jail and returned to selling drugs, MBI director Ron Stucker said.
"We received information that (Miguel) Machado was trafficking cocaine and heroin on the east side of Orlando and the east side of Orange County," Stucker said.
Investigators followed Mercado, who ultimately led them to two different drug operations that used a sophisticated web of parcel shipments from Puerto Rico and a phony car lot.
The car dealership, New Way Auto in the 300 block of North Goldenrod Road, provided vehicles and used numerous temporary license plates to throw off drug agents, Stucker said.
"They would store drugs there. They would use vehicles on the lot to supply those to drug dealers," he said. "To use those vehicles, they would use dealer tags, they would use temporary tages, to try to disguise vehicles to thwart law enforcement efforts."
It is not clear if the dealership was a functioning front for the drug-trafficking ring, or if it was completely cosmetic, Stucker said.
“We have questions as to whether they did any legitimate business,” he said. “When we did the search warrant of that business, there were so many open titles … the paperwork was such a mess that we have no idea if they’ve even sold a car or not, to be honest with you.”
The trafficking ring mainly dealt in cocaine and heroin, investigators said.
MBI Director Stucker: the drug rings were doing tens of thousands of dollars in drug sales a week. Most of the 24 arrests were made during the last of November early December for Operation Night's Watch. pic.twitter.com/aYEtomDEsX
— OCSO FL News (@OrangeCoSheriff) December 14, 2017
Cox Media Group
