Convicted Murderer Pleads Guilty In Crescent City Drug Distribution Ring

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Francisco Javier Arroyo (31, Crescent City) today pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Arroyo faces a minimum mandatory of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. 

According to court documents, between February and July 2021, Arroyo worked to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine along with a number of conspirators – including Alejandro Alvarado (30, Crescent City), Miguel Angel Perez (29, Deland), and Jose Martinez (43, Crescent City), Jonathan Arroyo Ontiveros (25, Crescent City), Noel Bueno Jr. (27, Crescent City), and others – all of whom lived in close proximity to one another in Crescent City. Miguel Angel Ortiz (29, Crescent City) also served as a courier to deliver multi-kilogram shipments of methamphetamine from Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia to the Crescent City neighborhood in which Arroyo and others operated. Arroyo delivered ounces of methamphetamine and cocaine primarily to Robert Wayne Watson (59, Seville), who operated out of his home in Seville. Watson, in turn, redistributed ounces of methamphetamine to mid-level dealers located throughout central Florida, including George Edward Sykes (46, Bunnell), Danny Wayne Holmes (61, Kathleen), Dina Dynnette Kempher (38, Satsuma), and David John Doerr (56, Astor). During the course of the investigation, the FBI monitored these conspirators as they arranged to obtain and distribute kilograms, pounds, and ounces of cocaine and methamphetamine. To date, 12 individuals have pleaded guilty and were sentenced to federal prison terms in connection with this conspiracy. 

On July 16, 2021, the FBI arrested multiple individuals in Crescent City and Seville. One day earlier, Arroyo was arrested in Missouri for a homicide that he had committed on July 13, 2021. Arroyo was later convicted of second-degree murder, along with two counts of attempted second degree murder, for the events occurring on July 13, 2021. After that conviction, Arroyo was transported to federal court to face charges for drug distribution occurring during that same time. 

This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the DEA, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.

This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.