Orlando man sentenced to 14 years for trafficking over 4 kg of cocaine

FLORIDA — An Orlando man has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute over four kilograms of cocaine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday imposed the sentence on Matias Sanchez Cardosa, Jr., 53, following his guilty plea on June 10, 2024.

Court documents reveal that on March 4, 2024, a confidential informant (CI) working with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) coordinated with Javier Alejandro Anaya-Leal to purchase cocaine. Mr Anaya-Leal directed the CI to his residence in Ruskin, where he said a courier was en route with the cocaine from Orlando.

Shortly afterward, Mr Cardosa arrived at the residence with two bags containing cocaine, as later recounted by the CI. One bag reportedly held approximately three kilograms of cocaine, while the other contained around one and a half kilograms.

Upon Mr Cardosa’s arrival, the CI left under the pretense of retrieving payment, and DEA agents subsequently arrested both Cardosa and Anaya-Leal.

A search of Mr Cardosa’s vehicle yielded a multi-colored bag with about one and a half kilograms of cocaine in the trunk and a blue bag with three brick-like packages of suspected cocaine on the front passenger floorboard. DEA forensic testing confirmed the contents were cocaine, weighing more than four kilograms in total.

Mr Anaya-Leal, who previously pleaded guilty for his role, is scheduled for sentencing on November 1, 2024.