MIAMI – A Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputy accused of selling drugs has been arrested.
According to the sheriff’s office, an internal investigation identified Deputy Francisco Melo as a methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) dealer. The drug is commonly referred to as ecstasy or molly.
On Dec. 20, 2024, investigators set up an undercover operation and had a confidential informant pose as a buyer. Melo allegedly sold them 12 MDMA pills for $240.
During the operation, they learned that Melo had booked a cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas for Jan. 23. The privately chartered voyage was hosting a four-day dance music festival on the ship and Melo had planned to smuggle MDMA pills onto the ship inside Skittle bags, according to the arrest report.
On Thursday, when Melo arrived at PortMiami he was arrested. After Melo consented to a search of his luggage, a dug-sniffing K9 was brought in and it alerted to his bags. Inside, deputies found six Skittle bags, five of which had drugs in them, about 60 pills total, according to the arrest report.
“No one is above the law, and this office will not tolerate criminal behavior from anyone, especially those entrusted to enforce it. The actions of this individual are a betrayal of the public trust and of all the deputies who work tirelessly to protect our community,” said Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Codero-Stutz in a statement.
Melo, who is a six-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, has been charged with the possession, sale, and trafficking of a controlled substance.
