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Dozens arrested in Polk County fentanyl bust
Sheriff Grady Judd says 64 people are facing charges and two businesses are closed after a multi-agency fentanyl investigation.
LAKELAND, Fla. - Sixty-four people have been arrested and two Polk County businesses are closed after a multi-agency fentanyl investigation, according to Sheriff Grady Judd.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office began investigating what it believed was street-level drug dealing in January 2021.
However, detectives learned that the drug dealers were cranking out 500-1,000 bags a day.
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Grady Judd press conference: Fentanyl bust
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd discusses the arrest of 64 people and the shut down of two businesses during a multi-agency fentanyl investigation.
According to Judd, the deputies set up wiretaps and learned that Pilar Rivera and her husband, Hector Baez Torres, were at the head of the operation.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd holds up images of Pilar Rivera and Hector Baez Torres.
The couple, whose 3-year-old grandson was killed during a shoot-out earlier this year, operated Rooske Bait and Tackle Shop and Rooske Motorcycle Repair Shop on Highway 98 North in Lakeland.
"We find it ironic that while these businesses appeared legitimate, this is how they washed their money from their dope deals," Judd said.
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Judd explained that Rivera handled all the money for the drug operation and the legitimate businesses.
According to Judd, the couple’s daughter’s boyfriend, 24-year-old Miguel Castro Rivera of Auburndale, would get drugs from ‘big-time’ drug dealers and would distribute them down to his ‘lieutenants’ who would sell the drugs on the street.
"We figured out that Pilar and Hector are at the top of the organization. We defined the hierarchy. We figured out the next level was part of the family affair… We figured out who they were, and then we figured out the operators. We also figured out that as these people at this level were arrested, they would quit letting them build dope. They would distance themselves. We also figured out that because of the intricacies of this operation, our interception of communication solidified racketeering charges."
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Judd said on June 20, 2024, six search warrants were served, one in Osceola County and five in Polk County.
"We seized motorcycles. We wiped out and seized everything from the bait shop because we were able to funnel the money and see it follow back up to and be laundered at the legitimate places. We seized guns," Judd shared.
He added that Castro had a Louis Vuitton semi-automatic rifle and was arrested following a stand-off with authorities.
"Hey, you ought to be trendy when you do this," Judd joked.
Grady Judd holds up a Louis Vuitton gun that was seized as part of the investigation.
Judd went on to say that at least two people were killed from fentanyl overdoses using the drugs purchased by members of the operation.
"Guns and dope equal violence and death and why these fools can’t figure out the obvious that we all understand is a surprise to me every day," Judd said.
According to Judd, the death of Rivera and Torres’ grandson is being investigated by the Lakeland Police Department.
READ: Lakeland family grieving after 3-year-old shot, killed inside car outside apartment complex
"Why did the shooting occur? Drug deal gone bad? Death of a 3-year-old baby," Judd stated. "Death of a beautiful 3-year-old baby. Guns. Drugs."
"When the sales of drugs like this can cause a 3-year-old baby to be murdered, that’s a scary thing," Judd added.
The sheriff estimated that the gross income was about $2.7 million during the operation.
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