2 men arrested after narcotics investigation in Lee County

Reporter: Gail Levy Writer: Joey Pellegrino
Published: Updated:

Two men were arrested after Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno says they were caught trafficking kilos of cocaine.

“Last month, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was alerted by the U.S. postal inspector of suspicious packages coming in from Puerto Rico to Lee County,” said Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno.

Detectives put together where the packages were, where they were going, and to whom they were being delivered.

“All signs pointed to a massive amount of narcotics on its way to Lee County, Florida,” Marceno said.

Roberto Navarro Rivera and Anibal Pagan. Credit: Lee County Sheriff’s Office

Under arrest are Roberto Navarro Rivera and Anibal Pagan. The sheriff said the pair were handing off kilos of cocaine when deputies moved in.

This arrest lead detectives to a storage unit in Rivera’s name. There they uncovered more drugs, weapons, and money.

Deputies found more than $1.1 million in the possession of the accused cocaine traffickers. Marceno said the cash will go back to the community.

“Helping children stay off the streets, and funding children’s programs, how we protect our kids, how we protect our animals, all the different things that we do, this money is going to help us, so merry Christmas to Lee County,” said Marceno.

Marceno said this investigation isn’t over yet. He believes there are more people in our community involved with Rivera and Pagen’s business.

Rivera faces charges of trafficking in cocaine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Pagan faces a charge of trafficking in cocaine.

Watch the press conference below or click here.

 

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