Florida cop accused of dealing drugs and trying to smuggle them onto a cruise to sell in Skittle packets
The suspect reportedly ran from local reporters when they confronted him about the accusations
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A Florida cop is being accused of drug trafficking and police say he planned to take narcotics onto a cruise and sell them in Skittles packets.
Deputy Francisco Melo with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office was arrested last week on the charges.
Authorities said Melo had been dealing MDMA - commonly known as ecstasy or “molly,” according to WSVN-TV. Police had used a confidential informant to go undercover and buy drugs from the ex-cop.
That informant also learned Melo was set to go on a Royal Caribbean cruise that was going to host an electronic dance festival, WSVN reported. Melo had planned to smuggle drugs onto the boat and sell pills packaged in Skittles packets.
Detectives stopped Melo as he was getting ready to board. They searched his bag and found 60 MDMA pills, according to the report.
The pills matched the ones the defendant purchased earlier, according to the report.
Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz had been with the department for three years and released a statement after his arrest.
“Narcotics don’t just harm those who use them, they devastate families, and fuel crime. The actions of this individual are a betrayal of the public trust and of all the deputies who work tirelessly to protect our community,” Cordero-Stutz said, according to WSVN-TV.
Local reporters caught Melo leaving jail and he reportedly ran from them as they confronted him about the accusations.