Orlando man sentenced: Supplied cocaine to Tampa trafficking operation

TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida man said to be the main supplier of a local cocaine trafficking operation has been sentenced to nine years in prison on federal drug charges.

Eric Joen Brenes-Colon, 34, of Orlando, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and MDMA (ecstasy).

Brenes-Colon pleaded guilty on October 26, 2023.

According to court documents, Brenes-Colon was the source of supply of kilograms of cocaine for a drug-trafficking operation that operated in Central Florida and Tampa in 2020 and 2021. Brenes-Colon coordinated shipments of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Florida and delivered cocaine to Georgi Milenov Solakov, 31, of Tampa, up until March 2021, when Solakov was arrested.

Some of the cocaine was sent from Puerto Rico to Solakov’s residence near downtown Tampa in parcels with Styrofoam coolers of cocaine inside.

Solakov was convicted of federal drug trafficking and firearms offenses on September 17, 2021, and he is currently serving time in federal prison.

Brenes-Colon also distributed MDMA tablets and marijuana, and several firearms, including a shotgun, a semi-automatic pistol, and an assault rifle, were seized in connection with the investigation, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew J. Del Mastro and E. Jackson Boggs Jr. prosecuted the case.