11 facing life sentences in Florida drug trafficking conspiracy

FLORIDA – Sixteen people have pleaded guilty in connection with a Florida drug trafficking conspiracy that reportedly involved three drug trafficking organizations, and 11 of the individuals face up to life in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida (USAO) has announced.

United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg said that 16 individuals, charged in three indictments, have all pleaded guilty to their respective roles in conspiring to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl and cocaine, in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) “Operation Titan Fall” investigation.

According to the USAO, the investigation yielded evidence from the three organizations, and each defendant faces penalties ranging from five years to life in federal prison. Here are the names and charges of the 16 individuals that pleaded guilty, and their sentence or sentencing range,  according to the USAO:

Name	Drugs, Drug Quantities, Other Charges	Date of Plea	Sentencing Date	Sentence or Sentencing Range
Alexander Acosta-Zapata	5 kilograms cocaine; 400 grams fentanyl	12/13/22	4/10/23	15 years to life
Frank Cadiz	5 kilograms cocaine	12/14/22	3/20/23	15 years to life
Adal Antonio Navas-Feliciano	400 grams fentanyl	1/18/23	4/10/23	15 years to life
Jonathan Andres Marte-Rodriguez	5 kilograms cocaine	2/8/23	TBD	10 years to life
Juan Felipe Sanchez	40 grams fentanyl	2/7/22	4/24/23	10 years to life
Nimesh Rashmikant Patel	500 grams cocaine	2/9/23	TBD	10 years to life
Joseph Juan Torres-Torres	500 grams cocaine	9/7/22	12/21/22	5 years
Gabriel Isaac Irizarry-Aponte	500 grams cocaine	2/10/23	TBD	5-40 years
Jacob Nelson	500 grams cocaine	1/25/23	4/17/23	10 years to life
Carlos Alberto Roman	cocaine, firearm w/silencer possessed in furtherance of drug offense	12/6/22	3/14/23	30 years to life
James Richard Howell	cocaine, fentanyl	12/5/22	3/14/23	Up to 20 years
Joely Manuel Burgos	40 grams fentanyl	12/28/22	3/13/23	5-40 years
Kenneth Angel Vera	cocaine	12/6/22	3/14/23	Up to 20 years
James Mirabal	5 kilograms cocaine	12/27/23	3/20/23	10 years to life
Jonathan Beharry	5 kilograms cocaine	11/29/22	2/13/23	15 years to life
Vilnarie Figueroa-Matos	5 kilograms cocaine	1/30/23	4/17/23	10 years to life

According to plea agreements and other court documents, during the investigation, the DEA seized an estimated 110 kilograms of cocaine along with kilograms of fentanyl through the mail, traffic stops, and search warrants. Many of the communications between Acosta-Zapata, Cadiz, and their conspirators related to the “brand” or “logo” of the cocaine – for example, an anchor or Ferrari – that was visible on the exterior of the packaging of the cocaine that was seized, the USAO said.

A search warrant executed on Carlos Alberto Roman’s home on August 9, 2022, reportedly yielded 19 firearms, six silencers, three flash-bang grenades, and thousands of rounds of ammunition, along with three firearms reportedly seized from Cadiz’s home.

Mirabal and his conspirators were said to be linked to a seizure of 50 kilograms of cocaine in April 2022 and the seizure of 20 kilograms of cocaine seized in Beharry’s apartment in the Baldwin Park area in October 2022.

In addition to controlled substances, the DEA reportedly seized proceeds and other assets used in the offenses. Upon the arrest of Beharry on October 17, 2022, the DEA said it seized $39,560; upon the arrest of Mirabal on October 31, 2022, 24 cell phones and $124,598 was seized.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Winter Garden Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Kissimmee Police Department, the Winter Park Police Department, the Clermont Police Department, the Orlando Police Department, the Apopka Police Department, the Ocoee Police Department, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.

Operation Titan Fall is a multi-agency Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCEDTF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.