MIAMI, Fla. (WFLA) – A Miami-Dade sheriff’s deputy was arrested Friday after he was reportedly caught trying to smuggle drugs onto a cruise ship by hiding them in Skittles bags.
Francisco Melo, 36, has served as a Miami-Dade congressman for the past six years, NBC 6 South Florida reports. But on Friday morning, he found himself locked up in jail.
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The sheriff’s office said Mello was relieved of duty after his arrest. Mello was taken into custody at the Royal Caribbean Terminal in Port Miami, according to an arrest report.
Investigators said Melo was stopped and searched as he was attempting to board Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, a privately chartered ship hosting a four-day music festival.
Detectives said they received information indicating Mello was planning to smuggle methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) pills onto the plane. This drug is also commonly known as ecstasy or molly.
Investigators said a search of Mello’s luggage revealed 60 pills hidden inside a Skittles candy bag. According to reports, the confidential informant had purchased similar pills from Melo in December last year.
Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz expressed disappointment in her deputies in a statement provided to NBC 6, saying, “Drugs not only harm the users, they destroy families and encourage crime. “There is no one above us,” he said in part. Our office will not tolerate criminal conduct by those who abide by this law, especially those entrusted with enforcing the law. This person’s actions are a betrayal of the public’s trust and all of the members of Congress who work so diligently to protect it. We will fully cooperate with the State Attorney’s Office throughout the legal process. ”
Mello was charged with possession, sale and trafficking of a controlled substance. As of Friday, he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on $25,000 bail.
