MONROE COUNTY, Fla. – A 56-year-old Miami-Dade man was arrested Thursday for leading an extensive fentanyl distribution ring in the Florida Keys, authorities said.
Melvin Howard is facing charges of trafficking fentanyl, conspiracy to traffic fentanyl and the unlawful use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.
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“The men and women of the Sheriff’s Office and our federal partners with the DEA did an outstanding job getting this criminal off the streets,” said Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay in a news release on Friday. “My message is clear: If you sell these dangerous drugs you will be arrested.”
According to Adam Linhardt, a spokesperson for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Howard’s arrest follows a 15-month investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Division and the Drug Enforcement Administration that led to the discovery that Howard was spearheading the distribution of approximately 4.5 kilograms of fentanyl throughout Monroe County.
Linhardt said a warrant was obtained and Howard was arrested by Miami-Dade police.
According to court records, Howard remained in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Friday and will face charges in Monroe County.