TAMPA, Fla. – Five Bradenton residents have been sentenced to a combined 48 years in federal prison for a conspiracy to possess and distribute more than 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine in Manatee County following a joint Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Sarasota and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.
Clemente Betancourt, 29, was sentenced to 15 years and 8 months; Estevan Betancourt, 20, Adonis Bonilla, 29, and Omar Mejia, 29, were each sentenced to 10 years in federal prison; and Alexander Perez, 30, was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison. Each previously pleaded guilty for their roles in this case.
“This criminal organization will now be held accountable for peddling their poison in our communities,” said HSI Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Dumas. “Their sentences reflect the seriousness of their conduct and should send a clear message that HSI, alongside our state and federal law enforcement partners, will relentlessly pursue those who seek to destroy people’s lives with narcotics. We remain committed to dismantling transnational criminal organizations and safeguarding our communities.”
According to court documents, these individuals were involved in a conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine in Bradenton and throughout Manatee County. In addition to the conspiracy charges, they were charged with narcotics transactions on specific dates. Specifically, Clemente and Estevan Betancourt distributed methamphetamine quantities to the defendants and others. The sales of the narcotics were conducted at their home in Bradenton, as well as other locations throughout Manatee County.
At the time of the arrests, a search warrant was executed at Clemente and Estevan Betancourt’s house in Bradenton. Three firearms, approximately one pound of methamphetamine, 22 cellphones, cocaine and marijuana were seized.
This case was investigated by a joint OCDETF, which includes HSI Tampa and the FBI, the Central Florida Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, which includes the Bradenton Police Department, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the North Port Police Department, the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Palmetto Police Department, the Sarasota Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also assisted with the investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria Guzman, David Sullivan and Suzanne Nebesky. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
HSI Tampa area of responsibility, which includes ten geographically strategic offices, covers more than 51,600 square miles of the total 65,757 square miles in the state of Florida. This region has more than 14.2 million people and includes 58 of the 67 counties. HSI Tampa also includes five of the ten largest cities in Florida, 15 primary commercial service airports, and 11 seaports.
Learn more about HSI Tampa’s mission to increase public safety in Florida communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSITampa.