Orlando And Miami Women Sentenced For Conspiracy Involving Kilograms Of Methamphetamine And Fentanyl And Tens Of Thousands In Drug Proceeds

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger today sentenced Mayerline Patricia Salcedo (31, Orlando) and Rachel Beth Cordero (31, Miami) to 12 and 6 years and 6 months in federal prison, respectively, for their roles in conspiring to distribute fentanyl and other drugs. The court also ordered Cordero to forfeit $3,689 in drug proceeds seized from her vehicle and Salcedo to forfeit $27,286 in drug proceeds and a firearm seized from her apartment. Cordero pleaded guilty on September 13, 2024, and Salcedo pleaded guilty on October 25, 2024.

According to court documents, on November 29, 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) followed Cordero – a target of a Miami-based DEA investigation – as she drove for hours from her apartment in Miami to an apartment complex on Millenia Boulevard in Orlando. When Cordero arrived, she waited in her car as Salcedo delivered a bag containing drugs to her in her vehicle. When Cordero’s vehicle was later stopped, a search revealed numerous drugs, drug proceeds, a digital scale, and cutting agents, including a kilogram brick of fentanyl wrapped in red tape.

DEA agents then arrested Salcedo and executed a search warrant at her apartment, seizing nearly 12 kilograms of methamphetamine, 4 ½ kilograms of fentanyl analogs, fentanyl pills, and powdered fentanyl in the same wrapping.

In Salcedo’s apartment, the DEA also located $27,286, a money counter, and a ledger accounting for the profits of her and her conspirators’ business:

Salcedo regularly texted photos to conspirators of currency, drug proceeds, and accounting ledgers reflecting collections of $19,000, $36,000, $47,000, and similar amounts. After Cordero’s arrest, the DEA conducted a search warrant at her apartment in Miami and seized more fentanyl and a kilogram press, along with other drug distribution paraphernalia. In total, the DEA recovered nearly 6 kilograms of fentanyl and analogs and nearly 12 kilograms methamphetamine, among other drugs. 

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Orlando Police Department and the Florida Highway Patrol. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.