ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Another one of the 18 people facing charges for a suspected drug operation at an Orange County bar, is now in jail.
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The Orange County Sheriff’s office said Maria Torres Rodriguez turned herself in on Thursday afternoon, but investigators are still looking for two additional people.
Eyewitness News reported on Wednesday how law enforcement shut down the PR House, a bar located on Lake Underhill Road in Orlando.
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Our team has now uncovered hundreds of pages of documents that detail the years long investigation into what Sheriff’s office described as a “criminal enterprise” there.
Investigators say 60 to 80 people purchased cocaine at the PR House every day.
According to court documents, investigators believe people stopping by the PR House would use the code word “bacalaito” to purchase cocaine. It’s the name for a Puerto Rican fried codfish snack.
“”They did not sell enough beer and food out of that place to probably keep the lights on. Their primary revenue source was the sale of illicit drugs,” Said MBI Director Ron Stucker at an earlier press conference.
Documents reveal that the Orange County Sheriff’s Office had been investigating the PR House for years, but the DEA and the MBI got involved in the Spring of this year to build a case against Rosa Lopez, the owner of the PR House, and the other masterminds of the operation.
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Court documents show in June agents installed undercover video cameras at the bar and captured hundreds of cocaine sales on camera.
Then in August, a judge approved a request to listen in on phone calls for some of the suspects.
In addition to targeting the owner, investigators worked to identify the drug supplier.
Investigators say Anibal Lopez was primarily responsible for supplying drugs, but was not involved in operating the PR House business. He is one of two suspects identified that is still at large.
Investigators confirmed they have seized over 9 kilos of Cocaine and 13 firearms at the PR House.
Court documents also show investigators intercepted at least one package that came via USPS from Puerto Rico in March of 2022. That box weighed 17 pounds and was filled with cashboxes full of Cocaine.
In total 18 suspects are facing charges as a result of the investigation.
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