Affidavit details events leading up to shootout
FLDE agent, suspect injured in Kissimmee drug sting on Tuesday
The operation leading to a shooting that injured a Florida Department Law Enforcement agent and a suspect began May 19 when undercover officers with the Osceola County Investigative Bureau contacted the man who would later sell them 25 pounds of methamphetamine for $162,500, according to an arrest affidavit.
Agents met 33-year-old Francisco Fuentes-Velasco in the parking lot of a Chili’s on North John Young Parkway on May 19.
Over the next few weeks an undercover agent negotiated the 25 pounds of meth and agreed to make the sale on Tuesday, the affidavit said.
Undercover agents followed Fuentes-Velasco as he left a hotel room in Raskin where he was staying and drove his Toyota Corolla to a 7-Eleven on West Carroll Street. There, he met with Omar Garcia-Cabrera and Juan Salas-Perez, who were driving a red Ford F-150 pickup truck.
Salas-Perez put air in his tires while looking around to see if anyone was watching while Fuentes-Velasco took a gray tote bag from the F-150 and put it in the truck of his car, the affidavit said.
Fuentes-Velasco and Garcia-Cabrera, 32, then drove the Corolla to Public Storage on Dyer Boulevard, which was the agreedupon location for the sale, according to the affidavit.
After they got to the storage unit, Fuentes-Velasco got out and met with the undercover agent and showed him the tote bag, which had 13 plastic bags of meth inside, the affidavit said. Agents then descended on Fuentes-Velasco and Garcia-Cabrera and arrested them.
At the same time, agents said Salas-Perez, who was still at the 7-Eleven, quickly sped away, crossing two lanes of traffic and hopping a curb.
The affidavit does not detail the shooting, but FDLE spokesperson Gretl Plessinger said the agents began following the suspects. The suspects opened fire at the agents, who returned fire. An agent was injured and a suspect was shot, she said. Plessinger did not reply to an email seeking more information. The suspect was last listed in critical condition at Osceola Regional Hospital. The agent
was listed in stable condition on Tuesday and was expected to be released from hospital. The agent’s name was not released.
A Ford F-150 was at the scene of the shooting, Villa Del Sol condos, with a window shot out. It appeared several shots were fired between the truck and the unmarked vehicle.
Agents also recovered a loaded gun from Garcia-Cabrera, the affidavit said. He and Fuentes-Velasco are facing trafficking methamphetamine and criminal conspiracy charges and are at the Osceola County Jail without bond, according to records. Salas-Perez is facing a criminal conspiracy charge, records show. His affidavit was not available.
The Osceola County Investigative Bureau is a task force that targets drug traffickers. It includes members of several agencies, including Kissimmee police and FDLE agents.
The Kissimmee Police Department will investigate the shooting and forward its findings to the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office. A KPD spokesperson declined comment Wednesday.