A Central Florida drug ring that pushed fake oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl onto Orlando-area streets has buckled in federal court, with nine members and associates pleading guilty in a sprawling case prosecutors dubbed “Operation Dirty 30s.”
Federal prosecutors say the crew pumped methamphetamine and counterfeit fentanyl pills across Central Florida, focusing on blue, circular tablets stamped with an “M” and “30” to mimic prescription oxycodone. The supply chain has been linked to fatal overdoses, and several defendants have now admitted that their own sales caused at least one person’s death. Sentencing is set to roll through the summer at the federal courthouse.
United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe outlined the guilty pleas in a May 11 release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida. The filing identifies 23-year-old Christian Roux-Rey of Kissimmee as the leader of the RMS/EBK network, and lists charges that include drug-trafficking conspiracy and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. According to the release, defendants Jeremiah Maldonado and Benjamin Rivard admitted distributing fentanyl that resulted in a user’s death, with statutory penalties that in some instances reach up to life in prison…