Tampa, FL – A Pasco County man is off the streets for a long time after being found guilty of serious crimes.
Javier Monserrate Vazquez, 47, of Wesley Chapel, was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy against the United States, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, suborning perjury, and contempt of court.
Monserrate Vazquez was also ordered to forfeit $250,000. A federal jury found him guilty on October 16, 2023.
According to evidence presented at trial, Monserrate Vazquez was a supplier of cocaine in Pasco County. The drugs were received through the mail from Puerto Rico. Co-conspirators received the packages for further distribution.
In October 2018, agents discovered a package containing two kilograms of cocaine addressed to one of Monserrate Vazquez’s co-conspirators. In a controlled delivery, a third co-conspirator retrieved the package. A search of his cellphone showed that Monserrate Vazquez had coordinated the pickup.
The investigation also revealed that Monserrate Vazquez delivered more than $171,000 in cash to an undercover agent in June 2018 for the purpose of laundering the funds to Colombia through the Black-Market Peso Exchange.
But that’s not all. In the summer of 2018, agents obtained evidence of Monserrate Vazquez threatening to kill an associate over an unpaid drug debt. The threats included claims that he would burn the associate alive, cut off his head, and chop off his hands.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Tampa Police Department and the Largo Police Department.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Baeza and Diego Novaes.
Related Federal Cases
- Wesley Chapel Supplier Sentenced to 27 Years for Cocaine Trafficking, Money Laundering · Puerto Rico
- Orlando Heroin & Cocaine Ring Busted: 7 Face Federal Charges · Puerto Rico
- Norton & 12 Others Sentenced in FL Cocaine Ring · Puerto Rico
- Utica Man Sentenced to Life for Cocaine Trafficking, Money Laundering · Puerto Rico
- Puerto Rican Woman Pleads Guilty to Cocaine Distribution · Puerto Rico
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking, Fraud & Financial Crimes, Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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