MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A Miami-Dade Sherriff’s Office deputy was arrested Thursday night after the agency received information that the deputy was trafficking MDMA, authorities announced Friday morning.
According to an arrest report, in December, detectives had a confidential informant purchase drugs from Deputy Francisco Javier Melo.
Police said the informant purchased 12 MDMA pills from the 36-year-old deputy in exchange for $240.
According to the arrest report, the informant told detectives that Melo was planning on attending a music festival aboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas cruise ship, which departed on Thursday, and intended to smuggle MDMA pills onto the ship by concealing them inside Skittles candy bags.
An arrest warrant for Melo was then obtained on Tuesday.
Authorities said he was taken into custody at Port Miami Thursday night after exiting his vehicle with his luggage.
According to the report, Melo provided written consent to search his luggage and detectives found 60 MDMA pills concealed within five Skittles bags.
Authorities said he later invoked his right to not provide a statement to detectives.
“Melo, who is a 6 year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, has been relieved of duty, arrested, and charged with the possession, sale, and trafficking of a controlled substance,” an MDSO news release stated. “This arrest is the result of a collaborative effort between the MDSO, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Miami-Dade State Attorney Office’s Public Corruption Prosecution Unit, who are committed to upholding the integrity and maintaining the public trust in law enforcement within Miami-Dade County.”
As of Friday morning, Melo was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center where his bond had yet to be set.
“Narcotics don’t just harm those who use them, they devastate families, and fuel crime,” Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said in a statement. “No one is above the law, and this office will not tolerate criminal behavior from anyone, especially those entrusted to enforce it. The actions of this individual are a betrayal of the public trust and of all the deputies who work tirelessly to protect our community.
“We will cooperate fully with the State Attorney’s Office throughout the legal process.”