Miami cop accused in cocaine conspiracy
MIAMI -- Law enforcement officials arrested a Miami-Dade police detective in Miami Gardens in connection with an alleged cocaine ring, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
CBS Miami reports that internal affairs officer Ralph Mata, 45, of Broward County, who was taken into custody Tuesday morning, is charged with aiding and abetting a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, conspiring to distribute the drug, and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from drug proceeds.
According to the criminal complaint, Mata, also known as "the Milk Man," allegedly conspired with a drug trafficking organization.
After rival drug dealers threatened to kill members of the group, Mata allegedly discussed a murder plot with the group. He allegedly stated that his contacts, identified as assassins in the complaint, would wear uniforms and badges to make it appear that the two targets of the murder plot were being pulled over by law enforcement before getting shot.
Mata allegedly arranged to pay two assassins $150,000 per target. The drug trafficking group ended up deciding not to proceed with the murder plot, but Mata allegedly still received payment for setting up the meetings.
According to the complaint, Mata also allegedly bought several firearms to provide protection to the drug traffickers located in the Dominican Republic. He reportedly transported the firearms on two trips from Miami to the Dominican in October 2012 and January 2013 -- law enforcement has since recovered several of the firearms.
Mata allegedly helped transport narcotics proceeds for the drug organization in exchange for thousands of dollars in cash plus a Rolex watch valued at $10,000, according to the complaint.
He also allegedly used information available to him as a law enforcement officer to find out about the law enforcement seizure of $419,000 in narcotics proceeds from a New Jersey residence.
According to CBS Miami, Mata has two young sons, and neighbors see him as a family man. He has been employed with the Miami-Dade police department since November 1992. And, ironically, he was responsible for helping identify and dismantle two major drug gangs in the City of Miami Gardens, according to the complaint.
Mata is scheduled to appear in front of a federal judge on Wednesday. If convicted, Mata could face life in prison.