METROPOLITAN BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2000

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Operation Wild Wild West was a joint nine month investigation conducted by the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Orlando Police Department, Winter Park Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Customs Service, Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the HIDTA Money Laundering Task Force. The investigation was initially focused at mid-level drug traffickers operating in the Richmond Heights area of the City of Orlando and concluded with the arrest of upper level suppliers that were based in the Zellwood, Florida area.

Those suppliers were smuggling cocaine and marijuana from Texas hidden in trucks that were also transporting legal goods. The organization supplied approximately 250 kilos of cocaine and 3600 pounds of marijuana to counties that included Orange, Seminole, Volusia, Lake and Marion, as well as Atlanta, Georgia. That drug organization was dismantled with the arrest of 18 of its members, and 12 more arrests are pending the filing of additional charges.

Operation Corona, named after the Spanish word for "crown," focused at the Florida leader of the Latin Kings, Jose "King Joey" Rosado. The joint seven month investigation by the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Orange County Sheriff’s Narcotics, Orange County Sheriff’s Office Gang Unit, Orlando Police Department Gang Unit, and the Drug Enforcement Administration HIDTA Heroin Task Force resulted in the arrest of Jose "King Joey" Rosado and two others for Trafficking in Heroin.

Operation Doublemint was a joint 3 year investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, Orange County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics and the United States Customs Service HIDTA Money Laundering Task Force. The investigation had focused on twin brothers, Darrell and David Williams who were operating a large cocaine trafficking organization on the west side of Orlando. The Williams brothers and four others were arrested on federal charges for Conspiracy to Traffic in Cocaine and Money Laundering.

In addition to long term investigations the MBI conducted numerous short term mid-level drug trafficking investigations. The results of all the investigations led to the seizure of $8,204,944 in narcotics and $774,514 in cash from drug proceeds. In addition, thanks to the hard work and perseverance of narcotics agents, the MBI increased arrests of drug traffickers by 30% during the year 2000.

In the year 2000, the MBI Vice/Organized Crime Section embarked on a joint long term investigation called Operation North Star/South Star conducted by the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, City/County Investigative Bureau, and the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco that focused at racketeering, money laundering, drug trafficking, and prostitution that was connected with the Rachel’s Men’s Clubs in Casselberry, Florida and Orange County, Florida. After a seven month investigation which documented criminal offenses on video tape, arrests were made of 34 Rachel’s employees or sub-contractors for such charges as Racketeering, Money Laundering, Drug Trafficking, Prostitution, Sale of Ecstasy, Sale of GHB, Sale of Cocaine, and Sale of Marijuana. In addition to the arrests, the investigation resulted in the seizure of over $700,000 in cash held in bank accounts.

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Vice/Organized Crime agents additionally conducted numerous operations directed at removing prostitution escort services from the community. Four escort services were closed, including Michelle’s Personal Entertainment, which was a prostitution operation that operated in eight (8) other states.

Agents also assisted the Vice Units of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Orlando Police Department with the street prostitution problem. In a joint investigation, called Operation Vicegrip, 292 prostitutes were arrested providing the factual basis of a new initiative called the Prostitution Mapping Program. The program provided that, as a condition of probation, arrested prostitutes could not return to designated areas in the community where prostitutes generally ply their trade. As a result, 800 prostitutes were "mapped" out of those areas during their probation which has helped to reduce the prostitution problem in the nearby community and neighborhoods.

Numerous state and federal court battles involving the Orange County Public Nudity Ordinance and the closed adult entertainment businesses Playmates and Bourbon Street South also occurred in the year 2000. Thus far the Court rulings have all been favorable to the community’s interest of reducing illegal activities.

Thanks to the dedication of MBI agents and staff, assistance from community and the teamwork approach used with other local, state, and federal agencies, the 22nd year of the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation operation has again proven successful in removing narcotics and vice organizations from Central Florida and thereby maintaining the areas reputation as a family oriented/tourist friendly community.

 

William A. Lutz, Director
Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI)

 

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