Federal agents late Friday arrested an alleged drug trafficker with ties to the Andrew ''Papa'' Brown cartel in Belize after his flight landed at Miami International Airport, federal officials said Saturday.
Steve Reneau, 46, who was indicted in December by a federal grand jury in Miami, faces a single federal drug conspiracy charge in connection with a shipment of 43 tons of cocaine seized at Port Everglades in 1999.
The cartel, headed by Andrew and Floyd Brown, reportedly smuggles cocaine into the United States from Belize. Both men were charged in the same indictment as Reneau.
The Brown brothers are currently detained in Belize by local authorities. Federal officials in Miami have asked they be extradited to the United States.
The investigation into Reneau was led by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Broward Sheriff's Office also assisted ICE officials. Reneau is being held at the Federal Detention Center pending his arraignment on Monday, said Barbara Gonzalez, an ICE spokeswoman.
