\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Martin County Sheriff’s Office is seeing an influx of cocaine arrests across the county, a trend Sheriff John Budensiek says follows a sharp decline in fentanyl-related deaths.A recent traffic stop in Palm City led to the arrest of three men on cocaine possession charges, highlighting what officials describe as a resurgence of the drug in the area.Sheriff John Budensiek said fentanyl cases in Martin County peaked in 2022 with 27 deaths. In 2023, it dropped to 19. In 2024, it decreased again to nine. And in 2025, that number dropped to five.Budensiek attributed the decrease to multiple factors, including disruptions in trafficking routes and tougher penalties for dealers.Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News\u201cFentanyl drug trafficking routes go from China to Mexico, then across the border, and that route has been shut down,\u201d Budensiek said. \u201cThe governor released this was an epidemic. He allocated a lot of funding through FDLE, which we spent doing these investigations, and our legislators came together, enabled us to charge drug dealers with homicide if the drug user passes away and we could prove it using fentanyl.\u201dAs fentanyl deaths declined, Budensiek said authorities have seen cocaine reemerge.\u201cWe see now a drastic reduction in fentanyl, but with that resurgence in cocaine coming back into the country holistically,\u201d he said.The shift comes as deputies arrested three men during a traffic stop just after midnight Sunday in Palm City. The men, identified as David Robledo Rivera, Jose Oviedo Lopez and Junior Pineda, who authorities said are not from the area, were passing through when deputies obtained consent to search their vehicle.\u201cThey got permission to look in the vehicle. … They could just see there were baggies of cocaine. I know one of the baggies was in the door handle, and then one of the individuals had cocaine,\u201d Budensiek said. \u201cWhen you’re dealing with people who are high on cocaine, you can see the indicators. They’re nervous or sweating when it’s cold.\u201dGet the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.Court documents show Rivera was the driver, Lopez was in the front seat and Pineda was in the back seat. Deputies say Rivera did not possess a driver’s license, nor did he ever have one. Deputies observed a white powdery substance on the driver’s seat where he was sitting. In other parts of the vehicle were more cocaine, leading deputies to conduct a field test on the white powder, which tested positive for cocaine. According to the arrest report, Pineda attempted to run but was quickly arrested. None of the individuals spoke English, leaving deputies unable to interview the suspects about narcotics. The sheriff\u2019s office said it is using multiple units to combat drug trafficking, including narcotics, marine and aviation teams.\u201cWe have a narcotics unit, marine unit and aviation unit that are always out there searching for drugs, and we start by stopping them on the maritime side,\u201d Budensiek said. \u201cWe are a border, so our No. 1 objective is stopping people from coming into the country with cocaine. But once it’s here, we do regular investigations all the way from the street-level investigation through mid-level to high-end drug trafficking investigations.” All three men are being held at the Martin County Jail on drug possession charges. Authorities said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed detainers on the suspects.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tMARTIN COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office is seeing an influx of cocaine arrests across the county, a trend Sheriff John Budensiek says follows a sharp decline in fentanyl-related deaths.<\/p>\n
A recent traffic stop in Palm City led to the arrest of three men on cocaine possession charges, highlighting what officials describe as a resurgence of the drug in the area.<\/p>\n
Sheriff John Budensiek said fentanyl cases in Martin County peaked in 2022 with 27 deaths. In 2023, it dropped to 19. In 2024, it decreased again to nine. And in 2025, that number dropped to five.<\/p>\n
Budensiek attributed the decrease to multiple factors, including disruptions in trafficking routes and tougher penalties for dealers.<\/p>\n