HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — A drug investigation took a messy turn on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, when detectives had to fish bags of fentanyl out of a septic tank to catch a dealer trying to destroy evidence.
Detectives with the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office Vice and Narcotics Unit executed a search warrant at a home on Ortega Boulevard. Their target was Daniel “Blanco” Velazquez, a 37-year-old man suspected of selling large amounts of fentanyl across the county.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the operation began when detectives spotted Velazquez in the front yard. When he saw them, he ran into a side garage door. The garage had been converted into an Airbnb rental where Velazquez was staying.
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Detectives, along with K-9 Deputy J. Arnold and his partner K-9 Odin, forced the door open. Inside, they found Velazquez in the bathroom. He was frantically flushing drugs down the toilet and refused to come out.
Because he would not surrender, a K-9 was deployed. Velazquez was bitten by the police dog during the struggle and was later taken to a hospital for treatment.
Inside the home, deputies also found Velazquez’s girlfriend, 38-year-old Jahira Rodriguez. Deputies say she tried to block the door and hide Velazquez while he was in the bathroom getting rid of the drugs.
Going to Great Lengths
The investigation didn’t stop at the bathroom door. Detectives believed a significant amount of evidence had just been washed away, so they went looking for it.
Investigators opened the home’s septic tank and managed to recover two plastic baggies filled with a white powder. To get the rest, they flushed the plumbing lines, which pushed out two more baggies. finally, they took the toilet apart and found a large bag of drugs stuck in the pipes.
Tests confirmed that the powder in all the bags was fentanyl.
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In total, detectives recovered 383.9 grams of fentanyl. They also found methamphetamine, marijuana, and an alprazolam pill in the home.
After being treated at the hospital, Velazquez admitted to police that he sold fentanyl and had tried to flush the bags to hide them. He was booked into the Hernando County Detention Center with no bond.
Daniel “Blanco” Velazquez faces charges including:
- Trafficking in fentanyl (4 counts)
- Felony evidence tampering
- Maintaining a structure for trafficking
- Possession of meth and drug paraphernalia
Jahira Rodriguez was charged with resisting an officer, possession of marijuana, and possession of a controlled substance. Her bond was revoked because she already had an open criminal case.
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