Ex-Miami cop who stole cash, drugs sentenced to 11 years in prison – NBC 6 South Florida

A former Miami police officer who stopped cars to steal money and drugs from people he considered suspects but who turned out to be undercover agents was sentenced Tuesday to 135 months, or just over 11 years, in prison.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Frenel Cenat, 41, pleaded guilty in March to charges of attempted Hobbs Act extortion under official authority and attempted possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

Cenat, who had been a Miami police officer since September 2008 and had worked in the property and evidence division since 2020, was arrested by the FBI in November 2023.

The FBI began investigating him after a confidential source told him that Cenat had previously stopped people known to be involved in drug transactions in order to steal the money or drugs they were transporting, the arrest affidavit said.

According to the affidavit, Cenat was allegedly using his official police car, an unmarked Ford Explorer, to conduct traffic control and was said to be wearing a police uniform.

Cenat was recorded on video and audio tapes “coordinating and conducting a traffic stop on two individuals he was told were in the process of engaging in drug transactions, with the intent to steal money and/or drugs derived from those illegal transactions,” the affidavit said.

The statement said Cenat explained that he would withdraw the schemes once he was off duty and outside his jurisdiction.

“While you’re on duty, (MPD) have their computers on and they can track you and sh—, you know what I mean… ping your phone… what are you doing in that area,” he said, according to the affidavit. “You don’t want to do that sh—, bro, while you’re on duty.”
duty… If I work there, I’ll never fuck there, bro.”

According to testimony, Cenat recounted several previous drug-dealing incidents in which he forced people to give him drugs, money or both to avoid going to jail.

In October, Cenat spoke about detaining a man after a drug deal and stealing about $50,000, saying, “All I need now is bread,” the statement said.

On Nov. 3, two undercover FBI agents posed as people involved in a $52,000 deal to sell 3 kilograms of cocaine in Miami Gardens after Cenat arranged to steal it from one of them, according to testimony.

As one of them left, Cenat followed them and stopped them, identified himself as “Officer Martez” from the “Miami Police Department – ​​Dade County Narcotics Division” and told them he witnessed a drug transaction, the affidavit said.

Cenat gave the agent a choice: either he would give him a backpack with cash or go to jail, and the agent gave him the bag, the statement reads.

After that incident, the informant and Cenat discussed another robbery scheduled for Nov. 16, during which someone was arrested in Deerfield Beach with 6 or 7 kilograms of cocaine and at least $30,000 in cash, the affidavit said.

Cenat said he would give the cocaine to the informant and his friend to sell and they would split the money, the statement said.

On November 16, the FBI conducted another undercover drug deal, after which Cenat followed one of the undercover agents and detained him, the affidavit said.

Cenat again identified himself as “Officer Martez” to the “Broward County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit” and took a duffel bag containing 7 kilograms of DEA narcotics and $80,000 in cash, the affidavit said.

Cenat asked the undercover agent, “Do you want to go home today or spend 30 years in… federal prison?” the affidavit says.

He also asked for their phone number and said, “You work for me now” and “When I call… you better pick up,” the affidavit said. “If I call and you don’t pick up… I’m coming for you.”

Cenat later met the informant in Coral Springs to split the money and drugs, and that’s where he was arrested by the FBI, the affidavit said.

Cenat faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, authorities said.