Ten people are headed to federal prison in connection with a South Florida cocaine trafficking conspiracy involving drugs supplied by a Mexican cartel and others, authorities said.

Eight of the suspects pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said Thursday.

Reinaldo Fernandez, 63, was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison; Javier Garcia-Mora, 40, to 60 months; Michel Garcia, 50, to 57 months; Renier Mendez, 46, to 57 months; Elvis Alfonso, 40, to 64 months; Alfredo Miranda, 63, to 70 months; Yaniel Cardenal Frias, 32, to 75 months; and Jorge Victor Herrero Gamez, 33, to 82 months.

Alberto Gonzalez, 39, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.

Daniel Gerardo Torres, 55, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine.

Authorities said the cocaine trafficking conspiracy operated throughout South Florida dating back to at least September 2024 through September 2025.

Fernandez and others obtained the cocaine from a Mexican drug cartel and other sources, and Garcia-Mora, a Mexican national who was illegally in the U.S., was sent to Miami by cartel members to oversee the operation, authorities said.

Garcia, Mendez and Alfonso were couriers who transported the cocaine and cash throughout the U.S., while others bought and sold the cocaine.

Law enforcement seized over $450,000 in drug proceeds as a result of the investigation.

“Mexican drug cartels do not get to establish a foothold in South Florida,” said U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This organization brought cartel-supplied cocaine into our communities, moved drugs and bulk cash across the country, and even had a cartel representative sent to Miami to oversee its interests. Ten defendants are now headed to federal prison. Through the Homeland Security Task Force, we will continue dismantling these networks from the cartel to the street and holding everyone involved accountable.”

Three suspects – Juan Miguel Torna Rojas, William Padron Perez, and Ricardo Oramas Valdes – remain fugitives, authorities said.