4 Policemen Arrested in Drownings in Latest Miami Scandal

MIAMI —  Four policemen were arrested Friday--three of them on murder charges--in the drownings of three suspected drug dealers who jumped into a river as the officers allegedly tried to steal a multimillion-dollar cocaine shipment.

The arrests were made one day after two ex-officers from the scandal-rocked Police Department were charged with keeping nearly $2 million worth of cocaine from the city’s largest drug bust.

The latest arrests brought to eight the number of present and former policemen arrested during an internal investigation into police corruption. Another former policeman is being sought.

An additional three officers have been relieved of duty, including two in connection with the theft of $150,000 from a police vice department safe, police said. One of them was later reinstated.

Maj. Raul Martinez said Friday that the investigation is painful for some officers, but necessary.

Officer Welcomes Purge

“Anytime anybody can purge our department of a corrupt officer, that makes me that much happier,” said Martinez, who headed the investigation for the city Police Department that led to Thursday’s drug arrests. “You’re either an honest police officer or you’re a crook.”

Miami City Police spokesman Reginald Roundtree said the officers arrested Friday will remain on the payroll, but he did not know for how long. They were suspended Dec. 10 pending the outcome of the investigation.

“To the community, we can only say we’re trying to clean up our own house,” Roundtree said.

The Metro-Dade County police, who investigated the July 28 deaths with the FBI and Miami City Police, identified the officers charged with murder as Armando Estrada, 26; Roman Rodriguez, 29, and Armando Garcia, 23.

The three also face a variety of other charges, including racketeering, armed cocaine trafficking, aggravated battery and armed robbery, Cmdr. William Johnson said. The fourth officer arrested, Arturo de la Vega, 26, faces those charges but was not charged with murder.

‘Unfortunate’ Situation

“This is probably one of the most serious cases I’ve seen,” Johnson said. “It’s a situation that everyone involved in feels is very unfortunate.”

He said two civilians also were arrested in the case: Pedro Baez, 43, who was charged with one count of second-degree murder and cocaine trafficking, and Ruben Ortiz, 37, who was charged with cocaine trafficking. Johnson refused to give details on their alleged involvement.

“There will be continuing arrests. . . . This is still an open investigation,” Johnson said.

Police were seeking a former Miami officer, Osvaldo Coello, who resigned earlier this year. Coello is wanted on charges of racketeering, cocaine trafficking and aggravated battery, Johnson said. He refused to say how many other persons were being sought.

Three suspected drug dealers drowned after jumping into the Miami River. The dead men were identified as Pedro Martinez, 40, Adolfo Lopez-Yanez, 37, and Juan A. Garcia, 47, all of Miami.

Men Unloading Boat

Witnesses told police that Martinez, Lopez-Yanez, Garcia and three other men were unloading cocaine from a 40-foot boat July 28 when they were approached by up to a dozen “men in blue.” Garcia and Martinez reportedly were carrying guns and a large amount of cash.

Cleve Jones, owner of the Miami River boat yard, said several uniformed men asked watchman Bob Downs to let them into the area.

“They told him they were police; they said it was a police raid,” Jones said. “Bob didn’t have a gun, and what could he do? He let them in.”

After Downs let the men into the yard, Garcia, Martinez, Lopez-Yanez and their three companions wound up in the river. The three bodies did not surface until the next day. A coroner’s report showed they drowned.

Jones said Downs was told to remove a padlock from a fence that leads into the boat yard.

“He opened the gates and they took off in a van. That’s the last he saw of them,” Jones said.

“We’re alleging they went there in uniform and approached the boat on the appearance of acting on police business,” Johnson said, adding that he believes the officers intended to steal an estimated 600 to 800 pounds of cocaine from the men.

He declined to say what happened to the cocaine, nor would he answer questions about a fifth officer who also was relieved of duty Dec. 10.

Other Officers Charged

Friday’s arrests were made one day after dismissed Miami police officers Felix A. Beruvides, 28, and Armando Lopez, 24, were charged with conspiracy to traffic cocaine, armed trafficking in cocaine, armed burglary and grand theft in connection with the disappearance of 150 pounds of cocaine from the largest seizure in Miami police history.

Both remained in custody Friday. Bond for Lopez was set at $500,000. Beruvides’ bond was $250,000.