OCALA, FL – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe has announced a shocking development in the criminal underworld of Florida. Jose Carbajal (35, Palm Springs, CA), Edward Camacho (21, Winter Garden), and Jose Lugo (41, Kissimmee) have pleaded guilty to retaliating against a government witness and conspiracy to do so, each facing up to 20 years in prison on each count.
The trio’s treacherous actions came to light on December 26, 2024. Carbajal, already serving a 40-year sentence for drug and money laundering conspiracies, was awaiting transport when he targeted Witness 1, who had been mistakenly housed with him in the Seminole County Jail.
In a chilling display of violence, Carbajal, Camacho, and Lugo ambushed Witness 1 from behind. They beat him to the ground and continued their assault with punches, kicks, and stomps. During the attack, Carbajal also used a jail telephone as a weapon against his victim.
Just over a minute into the brutal beating, detention deputies were able to intervene. They discovered that Carbajal had shattered a broomstick over Witness 1’s head and back. The attackers had made incriminating calls from the jail, indicating their motive and involvement in the attack.
Carbajal had previously been involved in shipping large amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl from California to Florida as part of a drug trafficking organization. Camacho and Lugo are currently serving federal prison sentences for separate offenses, but their actions have now put them on the radar for this heinous crime.
This case is a significant achievement for the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, which have been instrumental in investigating and prosecuting it. Assistant United States Attorney Tyrie K. Boyer is handling the prosecution, and this case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations.
For more information on the OCDETF Program, visit www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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