There were multiple arrests from a Central Florida drug trafficking investigation.
As a result, a prolific cocaine trafficker and his organization were taken off the streets of Central Florida. The Orange County Sheriff said this drug trafficking organization was operating in Central Florida and was importing hundreds of kilograms of cocaine.
This investigation resulted in the seizure of 40 kilos of cocaine, approximately $1.13 million in cash, and a stockpile of firearms were located. In total, nine members of the organization were arrested and charged with various crimes, including trafficking in cocaine and money laundering.
Since August of 2025, the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation and its state and federal partners have been investigating a drug trafficking organization since the drugs were coming from Puerto Rico.
The group of traffickers, comprised Michael Hernandez Maldonado and his close associates, received the kilos of cocaine through the mail and distributed them throughout Central Florida. According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office announcement, those arrested include: Michael Hernandez Maldonado, Paola Sierra, Marcos Hernandez Ocquendo, Eliezer Negron Alvarado, Antonio Martinez, Louis Luna, Luis Adorno Rosa, Kevin Castro Delgado, and Leslie Sierra.
This Central Florida investigation was the result of successful collaboration of MBI, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Homeland Security Investigations.
