Homeland Security Task Force Investigation Results in Guatemalan Drug Trafficker Sentenced to Over 24 Years for Multimillion Dollar Drug Conspiracy That Used Corrupt Officials and Murdered a Rival
Tampa, FL – Marlon Alexis Aguilar Reyes (age 44), a criminal alien from Guatemala who was living in Miami under an alias before his 2024 arrest, has been sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell to 24 years and 4 months in federal prison for conspiring to import more than 5 kilograms of cocaine into the United States. He pleaded guilty on July 23, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, Aguilar Reyes had an oversight role within an organization that received vessels of cocaine from South America off the coast of Guatemala, transported the cocaine to the northern border of Guatemala, then smuggled the cocaine into Mexico for ultimate importation into the United States. Members of the organization included a cartel member in Mexico, a corrupt law enforcement officer, and the former mayor of Tecun Uman, Guatemala. Throughout 2018, the investigation revealed that Aguilar Reyes was negotiating multimillion dollar cocaine deals in Mexico; receiving updates on the murder of a rival; and getting notified through a corrupt law enforcement officer about the presence of Guatemalan police vehicles in the vicinity of a drug smuggling operation.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/homeland-security-task-force-investigation-results-guatemalan-drug-trafficker
International Trafficker Extradited to the United States and Charged with Importing Opioids and Money Laundering in Homeland Security Task Force Investigation
Tampa, FL – Sebastien Rollin (49, Quebec, Canada), a/k/a “Sticks” or “Stix,” has been charged by federal indictment with conspiracy to import protonitazene, distribution of protonitazene for importation into the United States, and international promotional money laundering. If convicted on all counts, Rollin faces a maximum penalty of 120 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Rollin that the United States is seeking an order of forfeiture. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to the indictment, Rollin, a Canadian national residing in a suburb of Montreal, Canada, began arranging the sale of synthetic opioid pills disguised as oxycodone knowing that the pills would go to Tampa. Rollin sold more than 10,000 such pills on May 13, 2024, to an undercover officer. He later sold 25,000 pills to an undercover officer on July 9, 2024. Rollin accepted payment for these sales via cryptocurrency that was sent from an undercover cryptocurrency wallet in the Middle District of Florida to Canada.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/international-trafficker-extradited-united-states-and-charged-importing-opioids-and
Another Sentence and Guilty Plea in Mexican-Based Drug Trafficking Ring Involving Over 12,900 Pounds of Methamphetamine and 22 Defendants
One defendant was sentenced and one pleaded guilty Monday in an investigation named “Operation Toxic Waste” that involved 22 defendants, 12,900 pounds of methamphetamine, and multiple firearms, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
Sergio Pena, 32, of La Puente, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 15 years and eight months in prison for trafficking firearms and methamphetamine. Also, Ruben Saenz, 38, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Saenz is scheduled to be sentenced on July 13, 2026. He faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison.
According to court documents, Operation Toxic Waste was an investigation into a sophisticated drug trafficking ring that resulted in the seizure of over 12,900 pounds of methamphetamine, over 50 pounds of a fentanyl mixture, 39 pounds of cocaine, and 22 pounds of heroin. The drug trafficking organization smuggled methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine in portable projectors and batteries, under the guise of a legitimate transportation business. The organization also hid thousands of pounds of methamphetamine inside semi-trucks and hundreds of pounds of liquid methamphetamine in the gas tanks of cars driven across the border. The Mexico-based organization monitored the narcotics using GPS tracking devices hidden with the smuggled drugs.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/pr/another-sentence-and-guilty-plea-mexican-based-drug-trafficking-ring-involving-over