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Press Release

Two Texans Sentenced To 15 Years For A Conspiracy To Distribute Over 20 Kilograms Of Cocaine

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Arnulfo Rodriguez-Munoz (43, Fort Worth, TX) and Enrique Velasquez (45, Dallas, TX) each to 15 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Both Rodriguez-Munoz and Velasquez entered guilty pleas on June 22, 2023.

According to court documents, Velasquez coordinated a shipment of cocaine that was supposed to travel to Florida (but was intercepted by law enforcement). Velasquez then traveled to the Tampa Bay area to recover the proceeds. Rodriguez-Munoz traveled to Florida to coordinate two additional shipments of cocaine, one of which was concealed inside a speaker box. Both of those cocaine shipments were also recovered by law enforcement.

Two co-conspirators were previously sentenced. Heriberto Castillo was sentenced to 7 years in federal prison and David Ceballos was sentenced to 3 years and 1 month in federal prison.   

This case was being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Hardee County Sheriff’s office, and the Lakeland Police Department. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. 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 https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael R. Kenneth and Diego F. Novaes.

Updated April 11, 2024

Topic
Drug Trafficking