Local

Man accused of accepting package of cocaine to distribute in Central Florida

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Federal agents said they caught a man red-handed as he was bringing in and distributing cocaine in Central Florida.

Investigators said the drugs were seized as part of a joint effort involving federal and local agencies.

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Investigators said they intercepted a package believed to be carrying drugs or drug money. They said they delivered it to a community mailbox and arrested the suspect, identified as Christian Arroyo-Rivera, 29, when he came to pick it up.

Arroyo-Rivera is now facing federal charges for possession with intent to distribute cocaine after a bust last year.

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Federal agents refer to Arroyo-Rivera as a “known parcel shipment coordinator and cocaine distributor operating in the Central Florida area.”

Investigators said they intercepted a package from Puerto Rico that was addressed to his home on Live Oak Ridge Road in Kissimmee. A U.S. postal inspector posing as a mail carrier delivered the box to a mail drop box and left him a key.

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Federal agents said they then watched Arroyo-Rivera as he picked it up.

Records show they found two kilos of cocaine in the package and a handgun in his car with no serial numbers.

The Postal Inspection Service said this is a crime it takes seriously.

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“We’re looking to prevent any damage being done or harming society with these dangerous drugs, so we get as many as we can as often as we can off the street,” said Rick Johnsten with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Investigators said Arroyo-Rivera told them he was getting paid between $600 and $800 to receive the package and that he knew it would contain cocaine.

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Jeff Deal

Jeff Deal, WFTV.com

I joined the Eyewitness News team as a reporter in 2006.

Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.