Cuban Immigrants Arrested in Florida on Drug Trafficking, Weapons Charges

Two Cuban nationals, Cesar Valdes, 89, and Magdaleno Medina, 73, have been arrested in Miami on charges of cocaine trafficking and possession of stolen firearms. Both men are believed to have been living in the United States illegally for more than 45 years, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The arrests stemmed from an undercover operation by the Miami Police Department, which purchased $60 worth of cocaine from Medina on August 19. A subsequent search of a trailer on September 9, conducted with a narcotics search warrant, led to the discovery of Valdes present, along with numerous bags of cocaine and marijuana, ammunition, stolen firearms, and over $4,800 in cash.

According to an ICE spokesman, both men entered the U.S. without inspection near Key West, Florida, on separate days in May 1980. Medina has a history of four prior felony convictions in the U.S. for cocaine smuggling, drug possession, and drug trafficking. An immigration judge issued him a final order of exclusion on July 24, 1996. Valdes has faced previous charges in Miami-Dade County for cocaine possession and probation violations in the 1980s and 1990s, and was issued a final order of exclusion on March 10, 1993.

Medina is facing eight felony charges, including possession of cocaine with intent to sell, cocaine trafficking, and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. Valdes faces five similar drug- and firearm-related felony charges. Both men have pleaded not guilty to their charges in Miami-Dade County. They are currently being held in a Miami jail with ICE detainers.

An ICE spokesman stated, "Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S. We will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you."