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18 accused of selling drug out of restaurant
After a series of shootings, drug sales, and other criminal activity, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said they arrested 18 people for their alleged involvement in a criminal business operating as a bar.
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - After a series of shootings, drug sales, and other criminal activity, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said they arrested 18 people for their alleged involvement in a criminal business operating as a bar.
The bar, known as the P.R. House, located at 7343 Lake Underhill Road, did not sell enough beer and food to keep the lights on, according to law enforcement. The operators were selling cocaine to between 60 and 80 people a day and had been running the business for almost two decades.
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The owner of the bar, Rosa Lopez, was arrested back in 2001 for racketeering and operating a gambling establishment.
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18 arrested in Orange County drug ring
Over a dozen people were arrested for their involvement in an Orange County bar operating as a drug front, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said during a press conference.
Deputies seized 9 kilos of cocaine and 13 firearms. The sheriff's office also said they received almost 20 Crimeline tips – some dating back to 2007 – regarding the P.R. House, prompting the beginning of the investigation.
OCSO also spoke about crimes dating back years that happened at the PR House.
In 2016, there was a homicide in the parking lot outside PR House. In January 2017, there were shots fired inside the bar. That same year, in August, a person died from a drug overdose inside the bar. In November 2017, another person overdosed inside the business.
In 2022, the OCSO homicide unit investigated an overdose death involving cocaine and fentanyl where officials believe the drugs were supplied by the operators of the PR House.
Photo: Orange County Sheriff's Office
Those arrested face a multitude of drug and racketeering charges. Here's a list of those arrested:
- Rosa Maria Lopez
- Luis Daniel Vargas Barbosa
- Milton Alfaro Lopez
- Jose Eduardo Rivera Lopez
- Asia Shavon Bauza
- Javier Dominguez Perez
- Edgardo F. Maldonado Colon
- Nelson Figueroa
- Joel Santiago
- Jose Francisco Flores Vargas
- Yander Maykel Perez Tamayo
- Vanessa Marrero
- Anibal Lopez (at large)
- Ana Versi Cosme
- Pedro G. Mendez Santiago
- Osvaldo Casamayor
- Maria J. Torres Rodriguez (at large)
- Ismalee Gotay Moya (at large)
A list of everyone's charges can be viewed in the document below: