‘This business is closed:’ Osceola deputies arrest 26 in one of county’s largest fentanyl busts

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office announced on Wednesday the arrest of 26 people in one of the agency’s largest-ever fentanyl bust.

The operation, called “My Brother’s Keeper” by the sheriff’s office resulted in the arrest of 26 people for drug trafficking, according to Sheriff Marcos Lopez.

“All these people were moving drugs and money around Osceola and Orange county as a group,” Sheriff Lopez announced at a news conference. “They kept this business alive and thriving right under our noses. As of today, I’m happy to say, this business is closed.”

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Lopez said the investigation started when undercover agents purchased what he described as a small amount of fentanyl from two brothers, hence the name of the operation. Investigators were eventually able to buy larger amounts, up to 100 grams of fentanyl at one time.

“Once we saw that amount, we knew that these brothers were getting a supply from somewhere else and that this was not the normal operation,” Lopez said.

The sheriff’s office said that sparked a three-months long investigation that seized more than 1,300 grams of fentanyl with the help of the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Florida Highway Patrol and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office

“The vast majority of these 26 individuals are looking at 25-year-minimum-mandatory prison sentences, but every single one of these individuals has at least a seven-year-minimum-mandatory sentence,” Lopez said.

According to the sheriff, one of those arrested, Johan Angulo, was in the country illegally.

“He comes here not to work, not to do anything nice, not to be a friend of anyone. He’s here to destroy our families,” Lopez said.

Lopez said they also seized more than a kilo in cocaine, 53 grams of cannabis, around $73,000 in cash and nine firearms.