Cocaine operation busted; 50 kilograms sold throughout Jacksonville, DOJ says

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Four individuals have been sentenced to federal prison time for their roles in a conspiracy to sell cocaine in the Jacksonville area.

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Edgar Ortiz Lopez, 30, of Jacksonville, was sentenced to five years and 10 months; Jeffrey Rivera Gomez, 39, of Puerto Rico, was sentenced to four years and eight months; Yaddiel Ortiz Lopez, 26, of Jacksonville, was sentenced to two years and nine months and Cassidy E. Martinez Iglesias, 30, of Jacksonville, was sentenced to two years and six months. Each individual had pleaded guilty.

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Between January 2020 and February 2021, Yaddiel Lopez, Edgar Lopez and Iglesias obtained multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine from Gomez in Puerto Rico. The cocaine was then sold in Jacksonville.

The United States Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations learned that the cocaine was being shipped from Puerto Rico to Jacksonville through the USPS. It was then delivered to various locations in Jacksonville to be broken down and sold throughout the area.

On Jan. 14, 2021, at the mail facility on Kings Road in Jacksonville, law enforcement officers came upon a suspicious package. They obtained a search warrant, opened the package and found $88,990 in cash in a shoebox and a GPS tracker.

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Video surveillance from the post office revealed that Edgar Lopez had mailed the package.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, HSI and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office worked together and located records for 40 parcels that were associated with Yaddiel Lopez, Edgar Lopez, Gomez and Iglesias.

The dealers were responsible for distributing 50 kilograms of cocaine in total.

“The introduction of illicit narcotics continues to ravage our communities and rip families apart,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. “The sentencings of these criminals to a combined 189 months in federal prison is a testament to the dedication of HSI special agents, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in stopping the influx of dangerous narcotics into our communities and households.”

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This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julie Hackenberry.