Three individuals in Florida are facing decades behind bars after a wild chase in Martin County last weekend led to their arrest on multiple drug trafficking charges.
The incident began Saturday night when 28-year-old Juiber Ochoa of Hollywood, Florida, failed to stop for a traffic violation and led deputies on a high-speed pursuit. Despite attempts to terminate the chase for safety reasons, Ochoa continued speeding through Palm City, ultimately driving into an open field after his vehicle was disabled by tire deflation devices and a pursuit intervention maneuver.
Ochoa and his passenger, 29-year-old Charles Cocuzza of Hollywood, then fled on foot, leaving behind their accomplice, 23-year-old Nicollette Giordano of Wellington, in the vehicle. A K-9 unit quickly apprehended the two men.
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The reason for their desperate attempt to escape became clear when deputies discovered a large quantity of drugs inside the vehicle, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, MDMA, and cocaine. They also found a stack of stolen credit cards.
All three suspects were arrested and charged with multiple counts of drug trafficking. They are facing hefty bonds – $1,635,000 for Ochoa, $1,830,000 for Cocuzza, and $1,435,250 for Giordano – and potentially decades in prison.
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