A federal jury recently delivered a verdict in a significant drug trafficking case. Mexican national Lorenzo Valerio-Popoca, aged 31, has been convicted on charges of conspiring to traffic methamphetamine in both Hillsborough and Manatee Counties, according to an announcement by United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. Valerio-Popoca could now be looking at a minimum of 10 years, with the possibility of life in federal prison for each of the two counts against him. reported the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
Evidence presented during the trial established that Valerio-Popoca was involved in arranging the transfer of half a kilogram of methamphetamine in Palmetto. He then proceeded to orchestrate the distribution of two kilograms in Sun City Center on March 30, 2018. However, after these incidents, Valerio-Popoca had managed to elude capture until November 2022, when he was apprehended for his involvement in trafficking a further 10 kilograms of methamphetamine in Pasadena, Texas. Valerio-Popoca has been a player on a the drug scene for quite a while before law enforcement finally brought him into custody.
The DEA spearheaded the investigation that led to Valerio-Popoca’s conviction, drawing on support from local law enforcement agencies including the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Pasadena Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney David J. Pardo is responsible for prosecuting the case…