Greater than three months after a veteran Miami officer was arrested and charged with making an attempt to extort cash and cocaine from drug-trafficking suspects, the Metropolis of Miami has fired him from the police pressure.
Frenel Cenat was terminated from his job as a Miami Police Division (MPD) officer final month following his arrest in 2023 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The bureau says a sting operation busted Cenat as he pulled over undercover brokers posing as drug sellers and compelled them at hand over hundreds of {dollars}, together with what he believed to be a mound of cocaine.
His termination was efficient February 23, in response to the Miami Civil Service Board’s March 5 assembly agenda.
Cenat, who joined the police division round 2008 and spent the previous few years working within the proof room, was arrested on November 16 on costs of Hobbs Act extortion, theft of presidency funds, and tried possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
Authorities had been led to Cenat by way of a tip from a confidential supply who mentioned the officer had used his badge and unmarked police automobile to cease drug-trafficking suspects in Broward County after which make off with their medication and cash.
Investigators organized for the informant to attract Cenat into the sting operation by feeding him fabricated details about drug offers pending within the space.
On November 3, Cenat pulled over a driver who he thought was transporting medication however was truly an secret agent. Cenat falsely recognized himself as “Officer Martez” of the “Miami PD – Dade County Narcotics Unit,” and promised to let the motive force go if he gave Cenat a $50,000 stash of money he had within the automobile, in response to the felony criticism.
Cenat allegedly took the cash from the secret agent and launched him.
Later that month, on November 16, Cenat pulled over one other undercover officer and, below the impression he was a drug vendor, gave him the choice to both flip over wads of money and cocaine or danger jail time, the FBI says. This time, Cenat allegedly recognized himself as Officer Martez of the “Broward County Sheriff’s Workplace – Narcotics Unit.”
“You need to go dwelling tonight or spend 30 years in…federal jail?” Cenat requested the agent, in response to the criticism.
Cenat took a duffle bag from the officer with $80,000 in $100 payments and 7 kilograms of pretend cocaine and allowed him to go away.
Following Cenat’s arrest, Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales known as him a corrupt officer.
“The arrest of Officer Cenat is the results of a joint operation centered on figuring out corrupt cops, and it’s an instance of the repercussions when one in every of our personal betrays their oath of workplace and tarnishes their badge,” Morales mentioned in a press release. “I stand firmly dedicated to transparency and guaranteeing the group’s belief is upheld all through this investigation.”
A Miami police union has not responded to a request for remark about Cenat’s firing. In response to questions relating to the months-long course of to terminate Cenat, the Miami Police Division didn’t remark, as an alternative referring New Instances to a common checklist of prolonged inside affairs protocols and procedures for the division’s disciplinary evaluation.
Cenat’s arraignment was delayed till early February, at which level an preliminary not-guilty plea was recorded. He has a change-of-plea listening to set for March 21.
