WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — The Polk County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) said it has executed the largest fentanyl seizure ever in the county.
PCSO said three suspects, who have been arrested, were facilitating the trafficking of fentanyl from Mexico to Polk County.
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“Our detectives seized over 11 pounds of fentanyl, which is enough to kill 2.7 Million people," Polk Sheriff Grady Judd said. "This poison is coming into the country across the border from Mexico, and we are going to continue our investigation into the Mexican drug cartels who are killing innocent people.”
According to Sheriff Judd, the investigation started in September when detectives were tipped off about fentanyl trafficking in the county. Undercover detectives arranged to purchase fentanyl at $24,000 per kilogram.
On September 19, Polk County claimed detectives met up with Ignacio Rodriguez, 28, to buy $60,000 worth of fentanyl. Detectives claimed Rodriguez showed up to the meeting with five kilograms of fentanyl.
Judd said two kilos of the fentanyl were concealed in a cereal box, and the remaining three kilos were in a yellow Igloo cooler.
Polk County detectives said two other suspects, Mario Alberto Castro Solache, 29, and Pedro Mondragon, 27, both of North Carolina, were also arrested. Rodriguez was arrested on October, Judd said.
According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, Castro Solache is in the Polk County Jail. Both Mondragon and Rodriguez have bonded out of jail, Polk County officials said.
