Hialeah Police’s $2.7 Million Money Machine

Introduction

He’s an admitted drug trafficker, money launderer, smuggler and former fugitive, targeted for death after he flipped on Pablo Escobar’s cocaine empire in the 1980s, according to his own sworn testimony. But his most lucrative seemingly legitimate score may have come as a confidential informant for Hialeah Police, who paid him at least $642,000 to lure cocaine buyers into their traps from 2014 into 2021, according to confidential police records obtained by NBC6 Investigates.

The Money Machine

A review of city budget documents, “confidential informant logs,” vouchers and payment records from Jose’s cases obtained by NBC6 Investigates shows his reverse stings were the largest source of cash forfeitures attributed to the department from 2017 through 2021. He was a primary driver of the Hialeah police forfeiture money machine, its proceeds often winding up in Valezquez’s office suite safe, according to the affidavit for his arrest. It states only Velazquez, and a major, had continued access to that safe from 2016 until Velazquez was let go by a new mayor in November 2021.

Entrapment and Outrageous Police Conduct

But Jose’s actions and alleged deceit have sent tremors rippling through Miami-Dade’s criminal justice system, with at least two of his targets arrested in Hialeah’s reverse stings claiming they were Jose’s targets and seeking to have their convictions thrown out. And they’re basing their arguments on facts that may have never come to light if not for the suspicions of one of the women Jose lured to Hialeah and the diligence of Miami-Dade assistant public defender Matlin Brown.

The Colombian Connection

The first steps on the trail Brown followed to clear her client, Jorley Holt, began in a city near Cali in southwestern Colombia where Holt has family. A cousin of Holt’s was befriended online by a man Hialeah Police would call “Pablo,” who asked on social media if the cousin knew anyone interested in making money in the United States, according to Brown’s motion. Knowing his cousin, Holt, was struggling in the real estate business in New York during the pandemic, he passed along her number to Pablo in May 2020, the motion states.

Brothers in Cahoots

Jose the CI and Pablo the “broker” share more than genes and business. They were both arrested in 1987 in what was at the time the largest undercover cocaine trafficking and money laundering investigation in history, dubbed "Operation Pisces," according to court records and press accounts from that time. Its ultimate target: the notorious kingpin Pablo Escobar, for whom Jose has testified he trafficked cocaine and laundered money.

Charges Dismissed

Brown, Holt’s assistant public defender, laid it all out for prosecutors in her December 2023 motion to dismiss — 328 pages of argument, allegations and supporting documentation that claimed Holt’s constitutional rights were violated by “outrageous police conduct.” It mentioned how Hialeah Police swore “Pablo” the “broker” knew Jose to be a supplier of cocaine – when her investigation unearthed evidence they were brothers who would share in the spoils; how Pablo sent the selfie of him with Holt’s family in Colombia and flashed a gun; the weekslong badgering, despite numbers being blocked and calls not being returned; the artificially lowered prices Jose and Pablo offered that would’ve produced unusually high profits, given the going rate for cocaine during the pandemic.

Hialeah Discontinues Reverse Stings

In dismissing charges in the cases Brown brought to their attention, prosecutors documented scant information about why they acted as they did. The office’s “closeout memos” usually give a detailed explanation of why a case is dismissed – citing facts and case law – but this one is only three sentences long. It says Holt “filed a motion to dismiss alleging a variety of issues” and, after discussing the “allegations” with a top prosecutor, a dismissal “was deemed appropriate for all defendants.” But it never documents what those “issues” and “allegations” were.

Conclusion

The Hialeah Police Department’s use of Jose as a confidential informant has raised serious questions about the integrity of their reverse sting operations. The fact that Jose was paid over $642,000 to lure cocaine buyers into their traps, and that his brother was involved in the operation, has led to allegations of entrapment and outrageous police conduct. The dismissal of charges against Holt and others has also raised concerns about the impact on the criminal justice system. As the investigation continues, it is clear that the Hialeah Police Department’s actions will be under close scrutiny.

FAQs

1. Who is Jose and what was his role in the Hialeah Police Department’s reverse sting operations?
   Jose is a confidential informant who was paid by the Hialeah Police Department to lure cocaine buyers into their traps. He was involved in the operation from 2014 to 2021 and was paid at least $642,000.
2. What are the allegations against Jose and the Hialeah Police Department?
   The allegations include entrapment, outrageous police conduct, and the use of a confidential informant who was not properly supervised. It is also alleged that Jose’s brother was involved in the operation and that he was paid for his role.
3. What was the outcome of the cases involving Jose and the Hialeah Police Department?
   The charges against Holt and others were dismissed due to allegations of entrapment and outrageous police conduct. The Hialeah Police Department has also discontinued its reverse sting operations.
4. What is the impact of the Hialeah Police Department’s actions on the criminal justice system?
   The Hialeah Police Department’s actions have raised serious questions about the integrity of their reverse sting operations and the impact on the criminal justice system. The dismissal of charges against Holt and others has also raised concerns about the impact on the community.
5. What is the current status of the investigation into the Hialeah Police Department’s actions?
   The investigation is ongoing, and the Hialeah Police Department’s actions are under close scrutiny. The department has discontinued its reverse sting operations, and the state attorney’s office is reviewing the cases involving Jose and the Hialeah Police Department.