A Mexican national, Guillermo Higuera German, 37, appeared in federal court in Fort Lauderdale on November 17 after authorities found more than 50,000 fentanyl pills hidden inside a child’s toy. Law enforcement officers approached Higuera German’s vehicle and conducted a consensual search with the help of a certified narcotics K-9. The dog alerted officers to the presence of narcotics.
During the search, officers discovered several boxes and a Sesame Street-style school bus toy containing thousands of fentanyl pills weighing about five kilograms. Investigators determined that Higuera German was in the United States illegally and had previously been deported five times. He is now again subject to removal.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, announced the case. The DEA Miami Field Division and Fort Lauderdale Police Department are investigating with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection regarding possible immigration offenses.
The prosecution is being handled by the newly established Border and Immigration Crimes Enforcement (BICE) Section, created by U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones to enhance border security in South Florida and address threats such as transnational smuggling networks. “BICE was created by U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones to strengthen South Florida’s border security posture, protect maritime and land points of entry, enforce federal immigration law, and dismantle transnational smuggling networks operating through the region,” according to information provided by officials.
Deputy Chief Jeremy Fugate is prosecuting this case for BICE.
Authorities remind that a criminal complaint is only an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
Additional details about this case can be found at www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov under case number 25-mj-06666.
