Operation Rooske: Central Florida Fentanyl Trafficking Organization Busted

A Central Florida fentanyl trafficking organization, described as a “family affair,” was busted in Operation Rooske. The multi-agency fentanyl trafficking investigation, which lasted just over three years, resulted in the arrest of 64 people and crippled the Lakeland-based organization.




The operation included the coordination between the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Attorney General Ashley Moody and the AG’s Office of Statewide Prosecution.

The Central Florida fentanyl trafficking organization – led by Hector Torres, Miguel Castro-Rivera and Luis Delgado – sold fentanyl throughout Polk County and Osceola County, according to law enforcement. The investigation uncovered that most of the transactions originated from two businesses, a fish-and-bait shop and a motorcycle shop, owned by two of the ring’s conspirators.

According to the investigation, the group generally sold small quantities of the deadly substance in an attempt to avoid detection by authorities. The trafficking ring used countersurveillance techniques, such as cameras outside residences and businesses, multiple cellphones and changing the location of drug deals when possible. In addition to the 742 grams of fentanyl, authorities seized more than 3,500 grams of cocaine, 13 grams of methamphetamine, 57 grams of oxycodone and more than 228 grams of marijuana.

Organized Crime Unit detectives from the PCSO and special agents from FDLE conducted multiple undercover purchases of fentanyl from the Rooske drug trafficking organization which used the Rooske Bait and Tackle Shop (6908 US 982 N, Lakeland) and Rooske Motorcycle Parts & Accessories (6916 US 98 N, Lakeland) for drug trafficking and money laundering.

The leader of the organization was identified as 43-year old Hector Baez Torres of Lakeland.  Co-conspirators were identified as Baez Torres’s wife, 41-year-old Pilar Rivera, and their daughter, 23-year-old Jeimylee Baez Rivera. Baez Torres’s right-hand man was identified to be 24-year old Miguel Castro Rivera of Auburndale.

Two suppliers of illegal drugs to the Rooske organization were identified: 26-year old Wilfredo Feliciano Velez and 59-year old Casimiro Bidot Del Valle of Kissimmee. Feliciano Velez was arrested by PCSO detectives as he was delivering three kilograms of cocaine to Hector Baez Torres. Bidot Del Valle was arrested at his residence by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office during the execution of a search warrant.

Detectives from the PCSO’s Bureau of Special Investigations, along with FDLE Special Agents, executed five search warrants in Polk County (Rooske Motorcycle Parts & Accessories, Rooske Bait & Tackle Shop, the residence of Hector and Pilar, the residence of Jeimylee and Miguel, and the residence of Luis and Wilma) and one in Osceola County (the residence of Casimiro).

During the Operation Rooske investigation, the following illegal drugs were seized: Fentanyl (742.14 grams), Cocaine (3,585.42 grams), Methamphetamine (13.08 grams), Oxycodone (57 grams), and Marijuana (228.69 grams). The total street value of the seized illegal drugs is estimated to be worth $475,348.60.

Among the assets seized were in Operation Rooske: $12,270 in US currency, five vehicles ($154,000), two personal watercrafts ($15,000), dirt bikes and off-road vehicles ($40,000), enclosed trailer ($4,000), Rooske Bait Store merchandise ($35,000), Rooske Motorcycle Shop merchandise ($55,000), jewelry/electronics/firearms/designer apparel ($67,500), bank accounts ($40,000), and liens on the residence of Hector and Pilar ($200,000). The total value of these seized assets is $604,770.00.

Those assets, combined with the organization’s seized illegal drugs produced a total impact of $1,080,118.60 on the Rooske Drug Trafficking Organization.




“In essence, this fentanyl trafficking organization was the family business,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. “The motorcycle shop and the bait shop were corrupt businesses that were used as a means for money laundering. Their customers weren’t involved; they had no idea what was going on. In fact, the owners tried to project a wholesome facade while conducting their criminal enterprise behind the scenes until it all came crashing down on them, thanks to the fantastic work by our detectives.”

While most of the arrests were buyers of illegal drugs from the Rooske organization, detectives used those arrest to lead back to and build a case against the organization.

“Florida leads the nation in fentanyl seizures, and this case is yet another example of how Sheriff Grady Judd and his deputies are leaders in helping us remove deadly drugs from our streets,” Republican Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said. “Working with Polk County deputies and FDLE, we were able to seize 742 grams of fentanyl in two counties. That is enough poison to kill 371,000 Floridians, and I have no doubt that this drug-interdiction operation saved lives.”

According to law enforcement, the following were the main actors arrested during Operation Rooske:

• 43-year-old Hector Baez Torres, Lakeland
  Charged: Racketeering, Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering, Unlawful Use of 2-Way Communication Device.
• 41-year-old Pilar Rivera, Lakeland (Hector’s wife)
  Charged: Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering, Unlawful Use of 2-Way Communication Device.
• 23-year-old Jeimylee Baez Rivera, Auburndale (Daughter of Hector and Pilar)
  Charged: Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering, Trafficking in Cocaine 28g or more, Trafficking in Fentanyl 28g or more, Possession of Oxycodone, Possessing a Structure for Drugs with Minor Present, Negligent Child Abuse W/O Bodily Harm, Unlawful Use of 2-Way Communication Device, Possession of Marijuana Resin, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Possession of Prescription Drug without Prescription.
• 24-year-old Miguel Castro Rivera, Auburndale (boyfriend of Jeimylee)
  Charged: Armed Trafficking in Cocaine, Racketeering, Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering, Trafficking in Fentanyl 14g or more, Armed Trafficking in Fentanyl 28g or more, Possessing a Structure for Drugs with Minor Present, Use of Firearm during Commission of Felony Offense, Unlawful Use of 2-Way Communication Device, Negligent Child Abuse W/O Bodily Harm, Possession of Marijuana Resin, Possession of Oxycodone, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Altered Firearm, Resisting without Violence, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Possession of Prescription Drug without Prescription.
• 48-year-old Luis Ramos Delgado, Lakeland (boyfriend of Wilma)
  Charged: Racketeering, Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering, Trafficking in Fentanyl 4G<14G, Trafficking in Fentanyl 14G<28G, Trafficking in Fentanyl 28g or more, and Unlawful Use of 2-Way Communication Device.
• 56-year-old Wilma Fuentes Laureano, Lakeland (girlfriend of Luis)
  Charged: Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering and Trafficking in Fentanyl 4G or More.
• 59-year-old Casimiro Bidot Del Valle, Kissimmee (drug supplier to the organization)
  Charged: Trafficking in Fentanyl 28g or more, Trafficking in Cocaine over 200 grams, Possession of Firearm by Convicted Felon, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

“It’s a true testament to the partnerships we have with our local law enforcement, and our legislators, to see this inaugural SAFE investigation result in the dismantling of a dangerous drug organization that can now no longer harm the citizens of Florida,” FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said about Operation Rooske.

According to the PCSO investigation, Torres, Castro-Rivera and Delgado, and co-conspirators Pilar Rivera, Wilma Fuentes Laureano, Norberto Otero, Jr., Luis Lopez Torres, Abel Flores and Jeimylee Rivera, sold fentanyl in Central Florida. Attorney General Moody’s Statewide Prosecutors charged Torres, Castro-Rivera and Delgado with RICO, a first-degree felony. All defendants except Flores are charged with conspiracy to RICO, a first-degree felony. Rivera, Delgado and Fuentes are additionally charged with trafficking in fentanyl, a first-degree felony. Flores is charged with sale of fentanyl, a second-degree felony.

Attorney General Moody’s OSP will prosecute the nine defendants’ cases. The remaining single-judicial circuit cases will be handled by the local state attorney.