SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED: THREE PLEAD GUILTY ON FEDERAL DRUG CHARGES AFTER COCAINE LOCATED IN KARAOKE MACHINE IN U.S. MAIL
WALTON COUNTY, FLA— A kilo of cocaine is found inside a karaoke machine shipped in the United States Mail during a drug investigation ending in federal drug charges for two Walton County men and an Okaloosa County man.
The extensive investigation between October 2019 and June 13, 2023, revealed Omar Josue Morales-Rodriguez, 44, of Freeport, Marcos Aguilar Gonzalez, 39, of Santa Rosa Beach, and Edmar Agustin Gonzalez, 33, of Crestview conspired to ship cocaine through the mail from Puerto Rico to the Florida Panhandle.
During the investigation done by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office VICE/Narcotics Unit, four packages were seized. Three contained one kilogram of cocaine each and the other had 125 grams of cocaine inside. One of the packages, which was located by K9 Kenny during a traffic stop, was a karaoke machine manipulated to hide a kilo of cocaine inside.
The investigation found 20 packages, believed to contain at least a kilo of cocaine each, were shipped as part of the conspiracy from Puerto Rico to addresses in Okaloosa and Walton County. Additionally, the search of a storage unit in Walton County led to the seizure of four firearms and various rounds of ammunition unlawfully possessed by Morales-Rodriguez.
Each of the three men entered guilty pleas to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine. Morales-Rodriguez and Aguilar Gonzalez pled guilty to an additional count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Morales-Rodriguez also pled guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.
Morales-Rodriguez had been previously convicted in federal court in Puerto Rico for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.
Sentencing hearings have been scheduled for May 23, 2024, and June 6, 2024.
Morales-Rodriguez faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years with a maximum term of life, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. Aguilar Gonzalez and Agustin Gonzalez could face a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years with a maximum term of 40 years, and up to a lifetime of supervised release.
Walton County Sheriff’s Office would like to extend our appreciation to the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Florida Highway Patrol for their assistance in this case.