Crime, Drugs

Law Student Convicted For Role In Miami Molly Ring

To say this guy's gotten a crash course in the criminal justice system is an understatement.

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Money drugsOne day you’re just sitting in the library, you’re just a month or so into law school, and you’re trying to figure out how to effectively brief a criminal law case. The next, you’re arrested for your role in one of Miami’s largest ever synthetic drug rings.

That is the story of Mario Melton. To say he’s gotten a crash course in the criminal justice system is an understatement.

Yesterday, Melton was convicted of conspiracy to import controlled substances and possession of drugs with intent to distribute in connection with his role in a drug ring that ordered synthetic chemicals from China over the internet and had them shipped to their location in Miami. The drug ring sold Molly through a network of bodybuilders, strippers, and assorted other Miami nightlife regulars.

Melton was a 1L at St. Thomas University Law School when he was arrested last October. Since then, 11 other co-conspirators have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the drug ring, and Melton’s first trial, which took place last month, resulted in a mistrial. Federal prosecutors had been on a bit of a losing streak in South Florida, with three recent trials of men accused of ordering synthetic drugs from China ending in acquittals, but all that changed with Melton’s conviction.

The Miami Herald details the governments assessment of Melton’s role in the scheme:

Federal prosecutors said that Melton met [Jorge] Hernandez [who pleaded guilty to charged stemming from his involvement in the drug operation] through Peter Pereira, a male dancer and gay escort who was involved in the Molly dealing. They said Melton came up with the idea to use his family’s freight forwarding company to ship bigger and more lucrative loads from China.

“This case is about Mario Melton, the essential cog in the Molly machine,” prosecutor Vanessa Snyder told jurors Monday during closing arguments in the man’s trial.

The defense tried to convince the jury Melton was duped by the drug dealers, and he had no knowledge of the contents of the boxes he was shipping, while the government contrasted that with a knowledgeable player who understood the risks involved.

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The star witness was Hernandez, 37, a heavily tattooed former U.S. Army soldier and Arabic linguist who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. In an only-in-Miami moment, both sides sparred over the meaning of the smiley-faced “poop” emoji in a text from Hernandez to Melton — with the government insisting it was sent to indicate alarm over law-enforcement scrutiny on their operation.

The jury took just over an hour to convict Melton, and he now faces 10 years in prison. Judge Federico of the Southern District of Florida had Melton remanded into custody, saying he was a flight risk. Melton will be sentenced in May. You can just bet, no matter how much law school exams are dreaded, he’d much rather be taking exams then dealing with the mess he currently finds himself in.

Guilty verdict in Miami Molly case run by ex-soldiers [Miami Herald]

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