4 arrested on drug charges in Palm Beach County
WELLINGTON, Fla. (AP) – A monthlong federal investigation into a drug ring that stretched from Alabama to Palm Beach ended with the arrest of four people.
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents raided a Wellington home Sunday and seized 14.5 kilograms of cocaine and a half-million dollars in cash.
Arrested were Manuel Penaloza-Ortuno and his wife, Humbertina Gorrosquieta-Zuniga. According to an affidavit, Penaloza-Ortuno was called “the godfather” in wiretapped phone calls and was part of a Mexican cocaine ring.
Officials said the drugs were hidden in a false wall behind a dishwasher in his home. Two other men were arrested on drug charges in a related case, and a fifth man is at large.
Penaloza-Betancourt and his wife are in custody. A message for Penaloza-Betancourt’s attorney was not returned Wednesday.