A Florida man identified as the primary source for a local cocaine trafficking operation has received a nine-year prison sentence on federal drug charges.
Eric Joen Brenes-Colon, 34, residing in Orlando, was handed the sentence by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber. The charges include conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and MDMA (ecstasy).
Brenes-Colon entered a guilty plea on October 26, 2023.
According to court records, Brenes-Colon served as the key supplier of kilograms of cocaine to a drug-trafficking network operating in Central Florida and Tampa during 2020 and 2021.
His responsibilities included coordinating shipments of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Florida. He personally delivered the drugs to Georgi Milenov Solakov, 31, of Tampa, until Solakov’s arrest in March 2021.
Shipments from Puerto Rico to Solakov’s residence in downtown Tampa often arrived in parcels containing Styrofoam coolers filled with cocaine.
Solakov was convicted of federal drug trafficking and firearms offenses on September 17, 2021, and is presently incarcerated.
In addition to cocaine, Brenes-Colon was involved in the distribution of MDMA tablets and marijuana.
The investigation also led to the seizure of various firearms, including a shotgun, a semi-automatic pistol, and an assault rifle, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
The case was jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew J. Del Mastro and E. Jackson Boggs Jr. handled the prosecution.
