64 Arrested, Lakeland Family Businesses Shut Down Following Fentanyl Trafficking Operation, Judd Says

LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — The Polk County Sheriff's Office said it has arrested dozens of people as part of a multi-agency investigation into a fentanyl trafficking operation in Lakeland.

The sheriff's office said “Operation Rooske,” which began in January 2021, resulted in the arrest of 64 people and the shutdown of two businesses that were used to launder money from the sale of drugs in Polk and Osceola counties.

Sheriff Grady Judd said the businesses, Rooske Fish Bait & Tackle and Rooske Motorcycle Parts and Accessories, were run by a married couple, Hector Baez Torres, 43, and Pilar Rivera, 41, of Lakeland.

“We find it ironic that even though these companies appear legitimate, this is how they launder money from their drug transactions,” Judd said.

According to the sheriff's office, most of those arrested in the operation were buyers.

“We began this investigation by arresting people who were purchasing drugs from their dealers and distributors,” Judd said. “We saw these people. They were also entrepreneurs. Many of them would buy five bags for $25, or even 10 bags. And then they used some of it and sold some of it, so that even though they were paying $5 a bag, they were selling it for a profit, at least enough to pay for their drug dealing.

The sheriff said detectives were shocked when they saw these street buyers were producing thousands of small bags of fentanyl per day.

“We saw that immediately crossed county lines,” Judd said.

Detectives noticed that as they arrested more suspects, their superiors no longer allowed them to sell drugs.

“We stopped arresting people off the street because it endangered our ability to move up the chain of command,” the sheriff said.

However, street arrests allowed investigators to build a case against the seven main culprits, whose names and charges are listed below:

• Hector Baez Torres, 43, Lakeland
  • Racketeering (F1), Conspiracy to commit racketeering (F1), Unlawful use of a two-way communications device (F3).
• Pilar Rivera, 41, Lakeland (wife of Hector)
  • Conspiracy to commit racketeering (F1), illegal use of a two-way communications device (F3).
• Jeimylee Baez Rivera, 23, Auburndale (daughter of Hector and Pilar)
  • Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering (F1), Trafficking Cocaine 28g or More (F1), Trafficking Fentanyl 28g or More (F1), Possession of Oxycodone (F1), Possession of a Drug Structure with Minors Present (F1), Negligent Child Abuse Without Bodily Harm (F3), Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device (F3), Possession of Marijuana Resin (F3), Possession of Marijuana (M1), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (M1), and Possession of Prescription Drug Without a Prescription (M2).
• Miguel Castro Rivera, 24, of Auburndale (Jeimylee's boyfriend)
  • Armed trafficking in cocaine (FL), racketeering (F1), conspiracy to commit racketeering (F1), trafficking in fentanyl 14 g or more (F1), armed trafficking in fentanyl 28 g or more (F1), possession of a minor drug facility (F1), use of a firearm in the commission of a crime (F2), illegal use of a two-way communication device (F3), negligent abuse of a child without bodily harm (F3), possession of marijuana resin (F3), possession of Oxycodone (F3), possession of marijuana (M1), possession of a modified firearm (M1), resisting without violence (M1), possession of drug paraphernalia (M1) and possession of prescription drugs without a prescription (M2).
• Luis Ramos Delgado, 48, Lakeland (Wilma's boyfriend)
  • Racketeering (F1), conspiracy to commit racketeering (F1), trafficking in fentanyl 4G<14G (F1), trafficking in fentanyl 14G<28G (F1), trafficking in fentanyl 28g or more (F1), and illegal use of a two-way communication device (F3).
• Wilma Fuentes Laureano, 56, Lakeland (Luis' girlfriend)
  • Charged: conspiracy to commit racketeering (F1) and trafficking in fentanyl 4G or higher (F1).
• Casimiro Bidot Del Valle, 59, Kissimmee (drug supplier to the organization)
  • Trafficking in fentanyl over 28 grams or more (F1), trafficking in cocaine over 200 grams (F1), possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (F2), and possession of drug paraphernalia (M1).

According to the sheriff, Rivera would handle the accounting for their legitimate business and the drug operation while Baez Torres would order the drugs from suppliers Casimiro Bidot, 26, and Wilfredo Feliciano, 59, of Kissimmee.

Judd said Baez Torres did not touch sales and delegated distribution to Miguel Castro, 24, of Auburndale. Castro was considered Baez Torres' right-hand man and the boyfriend of the couple's daughter, Jeimylee Baez Rivera.

When discussing the young couple's role in the drug operation, Judd mentioned that Baez Rivera and Castro were packaging drugs in a room across from a playroom that belonged to their 2- and 4-year-old children.

“Do you think that’s a problem?” Judd said. “I know it’s a problem.”

When police went to execute a search warrant at Castro's home, the suspect attempted to hide in the attic where he kept a firearm, but after an hour-and-a-half standoff, he surrendered to police and was arrested.

“Miguel told us when he was arrested, 30 years for a dollar,” “That's what he kept telling us over and over after he was arrested. He should have thought of that in advance. Then he put his head in his hands and told the detectives, 'I can't believe it. Thirty years, I'm going to get it. Thirty years for a dollar.

Another couple, Luis Ramos Delgado, 48, and Wilma Fuentes Laureano, 56, of Lakeland, were also charged with selling narcotics for the operation.

Judd said Ramos Delgado was the primary drug dealer, but Fuentes Laureano sold drugs whenever her boyfriend was unavailable, especially during his lunch breaks.

“Luis didn't miss his meals,” the sheriff said. “Everything stopped during his lunch break, everything.”

In addition to the arrests, the investigation resulted in the seizure of a total of $1,080,118.60 in assets from Rooske's drug operation, deputies said.

This included $475,348 in seized narcotics (fentanyl, marijuana, cocaine and oxycodone), $12,270 in U.S. cash, five vehicles, two watercraft, an enclosed trailer, merchandise from Rooske Bait Store and Rooske Motorcycle Shop, jewelry/electronics/firearms/designer clothing, $40,000 in bank accounts and liens on Baez Torres' home.

Deputies also seized a stack of guns, including a semi-automatic rifle painted to look like a Louis Vitton model.

“Florida leads the nation in fentanyl seizures, and this case is another example of how Sheriff Grady Judd and his deputies are leaders in helping us get deadly drugs off our streets,” said Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody. “Working with Polk County deputies and FDLE, we were able to seize 742 grams of fentanyl in two counties. That’s enough poison to kill 371,000 Floridians, and I’m confident this drug enforcement operation saved lives.”

This isn't the first time the Baez-Rivera family has made the news. 8 On Your Side previously spoke with Pilar Rivera after her 3-year-old grandson, JD, was killed in a targeted shooting last March.

Authorities said the shooting did not appear to be related to a drug investigation. JD was also the son of the married couple's other daughter, not the girl arrested in the drug trafficking operation.

“Essentially, this fentanyl trafficking organization was the family business,” Judd said. “The motorcycle shop and the bait shop were corrupt businesses that served as a means of money laundering. Their clients were not involved; they had no idea what was happening. In fact, the owners tried to project a healthy facade while running their criminal enterprise behind the scenes until it all came crashing down on them, thanks to the fantastic work of our detectives.