Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson announced the results from the first week of “Operation Safe Summer,” inspecting hemp retailers and manufacturers to ensure compliance with new child-protection standards for hemp products. “Operation Safe Summer” included inspections of hemp retailers and manufacturers in 20 Florida counties and removed nearly 11,000 packages of hemp products for violations of child-protection standards for packaging, labeling, and marketing.
“We have drawn a hard line in Florida when it comes to protecting our children from dangerous and deceptive hemp products,” said Commissioner Simpson.
Commissioner Simpson says since July 1, 2023, his department has uncovered over 738,000 packages of hemp products in violation of child-protection standards. The statewide inspection sweeps specifically targeted the sale of hemp products that are attractive and/or marketed to children, which is prohibited by Florida law. The sweep included inspections of more than 700 businesses in all 67 Florida counties and uncovered over 83,000 packages of hemp-extract products, including euphoric, high-potency THC products, targeting children.
This week, in a coordinated investigation, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement took down a major criminal operation involving payment card fraud and fuel theft out of Hernando County.
The investigation began when U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted a shipment of illegal overlay skimming devices bound for Yunior Juan Camacho of Spring Hill, Florida. OALE Special Agents launched an immediate investigation into suspected violations involving scanning devices and reencodes used to steal sensitive financial data.
The investigation also had help from the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.
Agents uncovered a sophisticated fraud operation, seizing:
354 suspected counterfeit magnetic strip payment cards
17 illegal skimming devices
More than 150 digital storage devices
Additional electronic components used for skimming schemes
$47,350 in cash
Cash, counterfeit magnetic strip payment cards, and skimming devices
Additionally, a 2022 Ford F-350 operated by Hernandez-Plasencia was impounded after agents discovered two concealed, illegal fuel tanks suspected of being used to steal diesel fuel. During that same operation, agents also recovered 17 gaffs, which are commonly associated with animal fighting.
Camacho, Murguia, and Hernandez-Plasencia now face multiple felony charges, including trafficking in counterfeit goods, possession of skimming devices, and possession of equipment used for animal fighting.
