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33 arrested as Hillsborough deputies dismantle drug-trafficking ring run with smuggled prison cell phone: HCSO

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Published  March 5, 2025 4:40pm EST
Hillsborough County
FOX 13 News

The Brief

    • Thirty-three people have been arrested in connection with a drug-trafficking network, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
    • Deputies say one suspect was organizing drug distribution with a cell phone that was smuggled into a state prison.
    • Detectives seized drugs, guns, cash and two fentanyl presses used to manufacture counterfeit pills.

TAMPA, Fla. - Thirty-three people have been arrested, including two incarcerated brothers and their parents, after Hillsborough County deputies say they were part of a drug-trafficking ring organized, in part, with a cell phone that was smuggled into a Florida prison. 

The backstory:

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, HCSO’s major violators section worked with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Orlando Office to conduct a six-month drug-trafficking investigation. 

Investigators say they uncovered direct ties between a drug-trafficking network and a network in Puerto Rico, where fentanyl and cocaine were being smuggled into Florida, primarily through Orlando, before being distributed throughout Hillsborough County and surrounding areas.

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Detectives said they identified two brothers, Fernando Elias Rosario Torres, 32, currently incarcerated at Federal Prison Camp Pensacola, and Elias Xavier Rosario Torres, 26, currently incarcerated at Graceville Correctional Facility, coordinating drug distribution within Hillsborough County while using contraband cellphones smuggled into the correctional facilities. 

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Courtesy: HCSO

They also discovered that their parents, Elias Rosario Negron, 59, and Enid Torres Berrios, 59, were actively involved in the drug network. Both were arrested and charged as part of this operation.

By the numbers:

Thirty-three suspects were arrested, with the majority facing trafficking charges for fentanyl, cocaine, or methamphetamine. Additionally, 11 individuals are facing RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) charges, due to the structured and organized nature of the criminal enterprise.

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Detectives said they also seized approximately two kilograms of fentanyl, enough to potentially prevent 931,000 overdose deaths, along with two kilograms of cocaine and eight ounces of methamphetamine. 

Two fentanyl presses used to manufacture counterfeit pills were also confiscated, along with five firearms and $11,257 in U.S. currency, according to HCSO. 

What they're saying:

"This wasn't just a few people selling drugs. This was a network, a business built on death, addiction, and illegal profit," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "I couldn't be more proud of our detectives for their relentless dedication and hard work. This investigation was a huge win, not just for our team but for our entire community. Let this be a warning: If you are trafficking drugs in Hillsborough County, we will find you, and you will go to jail."
 
"Our joint success in dismantling this network is further proof of how our existing partnerships are strengthened and effective with help from the S.A.F.E. grant program," FDLE Tampa Bay Special Agent in Charge Mark Brutnell said. "FDLE’s agents and HCSO’s detectives have delivered the strongest message with these arrests: we have a zero-tolerance policy on drug trafficking in the Tampa Bay area."

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The Source: This story was written with information provided by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. 

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