Pair admit they imported 24 pounds of flakka ingredient
Two men pleaded guilty Thursday to importing more than 24 pounds of the main ingredient in the street drug flakka from China to Broward County.
Federal authorities arrested Mi- chael J. Hernandez, 25, of Orlando, and Jonell Vega-Mercado, 21, of Clermont, in June when they tried to pick up packages from a shipping and mailbox store in Hollywood.
Homeland Security Investigations agents said the packages contained the key ingredient for making the syn- thetic stimulant, which often hallucinations and psychosis.
The packages were addressed to fake names and were intercepted while being shipped to commercial mailboxes in Weston and Hollywood, authorities said.
The men ordered large amounts of the drug to be shipped from labs in China and the conspiracy went on from January to early June, according to the plea agreement. The men paid cash for mailbox services and used fake identities when they picked up the shipments.
Both men pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to import the drug ingredient at a hearing in federal court in West Palm Beach. The charge carries a maximum punishment of 20 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine.
The drug has been linked to several deaths in South Florida as well as many incidents of bizarre behavior.
pmcmahon@tribune.com, 954-356-4533 or Twitter @SentinelPaula
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