Four Tampa residents indicted for cocaine distribution conspiracy

FLORIDA — Four Tampa residents have been indicted for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

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United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the return of an indictment charging Eber Alexander Lopez, 49, Eduardo Ponce Tondee, 44, Jaime Ayala Rivera, 41, and John Hernandez Martin,44, with conspiracy and distribution of more than five kilograms of cocaine.

If convicted on all counts, each faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison.

According to the indictment, between December 2023 and August 2024, Alexander Lopez, Ponce Tondee, Ayala Rivera, and Hernandez Martin were part of a conspiracy that used the U.S. mail to ship kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico to the Middle District of Florida for distribution.

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In total, FBI agents said they seized more than eight kilograms of cocaine that were destined for the Tampa Bay area and approximately $87,000 in drug proceeds.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Tampa Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.