Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Deputy Under Hot Water, Criminal Charges for Allegedly Selling Drugs
Miami residents and men and women in blue got a shock this past week when a Miami-Dade deputy police officer was arrested for allegedly selling drugs. The somewhat unusual police-officer-turned-alleged drug criminal involved MDMA, or “molly” pills, and a cruise hosting a dance festival. According to local news reports, Deputy Francisco Mello of the Miami Police Department was arrested and charged with the possession, sale, and trafficking of a controlled substance on Thursday, January 24.
Investigators within the Miami-Dade Police Department had been looking into Melo via an undercover operation that was carried out on December 20, 2024. At that time, undercover officers identified Melo as a dealer of methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or, as it is called on the street, “molly”. Melo allegedly sold the undercover officers 12 molly pills for $240. During that undercover operation, police officers also learned that Melo had plans to smuggle drugs onto the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Allure of the Seas, and was due to set sail for the four-day music festival cruise on January 23. Details of the alleged smuggling plan included Melo hiding the MDMA pills in Skittles bags.
Melo was ultimately arrested at PortMiami as he was about to board his cruise. Melo consented to a search of his luggage, and a drug-detecting K9 alerted officers to Melo’s bags. Inside of the bags, police were able to find and confiscate six Skittles bags holding 60 pills total. Of the arrest of one of their own, Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Codero-Stutz said, “No one is above the law, and this office will not tolerate criminal behavior from anyone, especially those entrusted to enforce it. The actions of this individual are a betrayal of the public trust and of all the deputies who work tirelessly to protect our community.”
Miami Residents Have Rights Under Florida Criminal Laws
The arrest of the Sheriff’s Deputy shows that no person is above the law, and that even police officers sometimes make mistakes, or find themselves at the wrong place at the wrong time. Everybody in Miami is innocent until proven guilty, and has the right to an attorney to defend their criminal case. If you are in the Miami area and you have been charged with a drug crime or any other crime, it is important to speak with an experienced Miami criminal lawyer about your rights and options, and a strategy to beat the charges against you.
Finding Legal Help in Miami – Miami Criminal Attorney
No person should have to go through the complex Miami criminal process alone. If you are in the Miami area and you need legal help, contact the experienced Miami criminal attorneys at AsiliA Law Firm. The experienced Miami criminal attorneys at AsiliA Law Firm are here to help Miami residents who have been charged under Florida criminal laws beat the charges against them and get justice. Contact AsiliA Law Firm today and speak to an experienced Miami criminal attorney about your case now.
Source:
cbsnews.com/miami/news/miami-dade-sheriffs-deputy-accused-selling-drugs-arrested/
>