MIAMI – Federal brokers arrested an officer with the Miami Police Department after he was once stuck in a sting seeking to extort suspects for money and medication, officers with the U.S. Department of Justice mentioned Friday.
Officer Frenel Cenat was once on the Broward Main Jail on Thursday, accused of the use of his unmarked police automobile to habits a site visitors prevent on a motive force who he concept was once a drug trafficker wearing money. Prosecutors mentioned the 40-year-old officer was once tipped off concerning the motive force from a person he believed was once additionally a drug trafficker.
What he didn’t know is that the end was once a part of an operation to catch him — and the motive force at the back of the wheel wasn’t a drug trafficker. Instead, he was once an undercover federal agent, government mentioned.
In the primary site visitors prevent, on Nov. 3, “Cenat identified himself as ‘Officer Martez’ of the ‘Miami PD – Dade County Narcotics Unit,’ told the driver that he had been investigating him, and then gave the driver the option of giving Cenat the backpack filled with $52,000 in $100 bills or going to jail,” prosecutors mentioned in a news free up.
Prosecutors mentioned the officer “then took the bag of money, let the driver leave, and met up with the individual who told him about the deal, giving him $13,000 and keeping the other $39,000.”
DOJ officers mentioned Cenat then organized every other shakedown try with that very same guy, asking if he had any person else they may scouse borrow medication and cash from.
He was once then directed to tug over an secret agent within the Deerfield Beach space that he have been advised “would be transporting both money and (seven) ‘bricks,’ a street term for kilograms of cocaine,” prosecutors mentioned.
On Nov. 16, he’s accused of pulling over the agent and, this time, pretending to paintings for the Broward Sheriff’s Office, giving the motive force the number of giving up the medication and cash or going to federal jail.
But Cenat is also going to federal jail as a substitute. Prosecutors mentioned he took $80,000 in $100 expenses and seven kilograms of faux cocaine from the secret agent and allowed him to depart.
“When Cenat arrived at the location arranged for the split of the proceeds, he was arrested, and the 7 kilogram-shaped packages and a large quantity of $100 bills were found in his official MPD vehicle,” the news free up states.
Cenat, who lives in Boynton Beach, is dealing with federal fees of Hobbs Act extortion, tried extortion beneath colour of authentic proper, robbery of presidency price range and tried ownership with intent to distribute cocaine.
He’s set to stand a Fort Lauderdale federal pass judgement on on Nov. 28.
MPD Chief Manny Morales issued a remark at the arrest in a while after federal government introduced it Friday afternoon:
“The Miami Police Department is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to ensure the integrity of our agency is beyond reproach. The arrest of Officer Cenat is the result of a joint operation focused on identifying corrupt cops, and it’s an example of the repercussions when one of our own betrays their oath of office and tarnishes their badge. I stand firmly committed to transparency and ensuring the community’s trust is upheld throughout this investigation.”
Chief Manny Morales, Miami Police Department
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