Two Orlando men have been convicted in connection with a drug cartel-directed plot to commit an armed robbery in South Florida of a person who they believed was a trafficker but who turned out to be an undercover officer, authorities said.
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Kevin Albornos-Martinez, 29, and Johan Landazury-Albornos, 24, were convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, and conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said Wednesday.
Prosecutors said Santiago Carillo-Piz, an alleged member of the Sinaloa Cartel, directed the pair to assemble a crew to carry out the armed robbery that involved the theft of 45 kilograms of methamphetamine, 30 kilograms of fentanyl and drug proceeds from the South Florida “drug trafficker.”
Albornos-Martinez and Landazury-Albornos recruited people from across the country, including multiple members of the Tren de Aragua crime organization, authorities said.
But the “drug trafficker” was an undercover officer, and the suspects were arrested as they were testing their firearms and making their final preparations before the robbery.
Albornos-Martinez and Landazury-Albornos are the eighth and ninth defendants convicted in connection with the investigation.
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Carillo-Piz remains a fugitive in Mexico and is the only remaining defendant, authorities said.
Albornos-Martinez and Landazury-Albornos each face up to 40 years in federal prison at sentencing.
The investigation involved ATF, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
“This case shows exactly how transnational criminal organizations operate, and exactly how we intend to dismantle them through proactive law enforcement,” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said. “At the direction of an alleged Sinaloa Cartel member in Mexico, these defendants assembled an armed crew, including members of Tren de Aragua, and came to South Florida prepared to steal 45 kilograms of methamphetamine, 30 kilograms of fentanyl, and drug proceeds. Instead, they walked into a law enforcement operation and now stand convicted by a federal jury. We will continue working with our federal, state, and local partners to identify, disrupt, and prosecute the violent criminal networks that threaten our communities.”
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