On June 24, 2025, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested eight individuals and seized 64 pounds of fentanyl worth $4.5 million in two undercover investigations targeting the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartels. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) states this is Polk County’s largest fentanyl seizure. The Sinaloa investigation yielded 35 pounds, and the Jalisco investigation yielded 29 pounds.
The Sinaloa investigation involved FDLE, HSI Tampa and Phoenix, U.S. Border Patrol, Auburndale Police, State Attorney’s Office 10th Circuit, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The Jalisco investigation included FDLE, U.S. Border Patrol, Auburndale Police, State Attorney’s Office, Clayton and Forest Park Police (Georgia), and HSI Tampa, Atlanta, and Birmingham. Both were funded by Florida’s S.A.F.E. Program.
Sinaloa Cartel Investigation
Starting July 2024, the HIDTA Task Force identified counterfeit fentanyl pills trafficked from Sonora, Mexico, to Florida via Phoenix. Six shipments from July 2024 to January 2025 yielded 17 pounds. On April 28, 2025, Regina Headspeth, 43, sold 9 pounds in Lakeland for $55,000 in S.A.F.E. funds, later recovered in Phoenix. She was arrested June 19, 2025. On June 17, 2025, Adrian Francisco Munguia, 24, delivered 9 pounds in Polk County and was arrested.
Charges for Sinaloa Suspects:
- Adrian Francisco Munguia: Trafficking Fentanyl Over 28 Grams (F1), Conspiracy to Traffic Fentanyl Over 28 Grams (F1), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (M1), Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device (F3)
- Regina Lynn Headspeth: Trafficking Fentanyl Over 28 Grams (F1), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (M1), Maintaining a Vehicle to Traffic Drugs
Jalisco Cartel Investigation
In 2025, six suspects were arrested, and 29 pounds of fentanyl, some hidden in fake car batteries, were seized. A Michoacán supplier revealed an Atlanta stash house. In April 2025, Adalberto Diaz, 51, delivered 1 kilogram to Polk County. A week later, Gerardo Valencia Cervantes was stopped in Georgia with 11 pounds in a battery and 2 additional kilograms. In May, Gloria Trujillo Duque, 44, facilitated an 11-pound sale, with Miguel Estrada, 46, and Maria del Consuelo Alvarado Martinez, 40, delivering the drugs. Adalberto Diaz and Alejandrina Diaz, 30, were arrested for transporting 4.4 pounds.
Charges for Jalisco Suspects:
- Gloria Trujillo Duque: Trafficking Fentanyl Over 28 Grams (F1), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (M1)
- Maria del Consuelo Alvarado Martinez: Trafficking Fentanyl Over 28 Grams (F1), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (M1), Maintaining a Vehicle to Traffic Drugs
- Miguel Angel Estrada: Trafficking Fentanyl Over 28 Grams (F1), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (M1), Maintaining a Vehicle to Traffic Drugs
- Adalberto Diaz: 2 Counts Trafficking Fentanyl Over 28 Grams (F1), 2 Counts Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (M1), Maintaining a Vehicle to Traffic Drugs
- Alejandrina Diaz: Trafficking Fentanyl Over 28 Grams (F1), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (M1)
- Gerardo Valencia Cervantes: Trafficking Fentanyl Over 28 Grams (F1)
Total seizures included 160,000 fentanyl pills and 13 kilograms of powder Fentanyl. Nothing further at this time.
