


A Key West police narcotics investigation led to the seizure of more than two ounces of cocaine and oxycodone pills at an Old Town office Friday night.
Police executed a search warrant at a Duval Square office at 1075 Duval St. and found 63.3 grams of cocaine and 4.6 grams of oxycodone pills, according to a police arrest affidavit.
Carmen Isidra Hernandez, 58, of the 200 block of Coppitt Road on Big Coppitt Key, was charged with two counts of selling opiates, trafficking opiates, two counts of selling cocaine, trafficking cocaine and using a two-way communication device to commit a felony. All the charges are felonies.
Hernandez told an undercover informant during on alleged drug transaction that she had accumulated debt, according to the affidavit. That informant, who wore a recording device and transmitter, bought drugs from Hernandez on four separate occasions, according to the affidavit.
Police said Hernandez sold 11.2 grams of suspected cocaine to the informant on Wednesday for $400 at Virginia and White streets. The following day, the informant reportedly purchased 10.8 grams of cocaine, separated in 10 smaller bags, for $500. Later that day, the informant bought 20, 30-milligram oxycodone pills for $400 at the Duval Street office, police said.
On Friday, the undercover informant allegedly bought another 20 pills from Hernandez for $500 at the office where the search warrant later was executed.
Key West police declined to release the specific address where the warrant was executed. Duval Square includes restaurants, office space and residential rentals. Jail records indicate Hernandez is a receptionist.
The investigation is ongoing, said spokeswoman Alyson Crean.
An arrest affidavit says Hernandez was arrested at 5901 U.S. 1, which is near the entrance to Key Haven.
Key West defense attorney Jiulio Margalli is representing Hernandez, but he said Monday he had seen no police reports and had no information in the case other than he had been retained.
Hernandez was convicted on two counts of possession of a controlled substance in 1998 stemming from a 1996 arrest, according to Monroe County court records. She was sentenced to three years probation as a result of that conviction. Hernandez was released from the Monroe County Detention Center on Stock Island Saturday afternoon after posting $60,000 bail, according to jail records.
alinhardt@keysnews.com
I don't think it's The Citizen. I think it goes higher than that.
Word is, a number of Fine's files were seized in the raid, which means it was probably a federal investigation. This woman was likely just collateral damage.
There's a lot more to this story.