GQ article highlights ICE involvement in Florida cocaine sting
An article in the April edition of GQ magazine highlighted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) outstanding work in the investigation and eventual arrest of Rodney Hyden, who was attempting to smuggle cocaine into the United States from Puerto Rico.
Hyden, who owns his own construction company, initially heard from a neighbor about cocaine being buried near a beach in Puerto Rico. After failing to find the drugs on his own, he made a “treasure map” revealing where he thought the cocaine was located and unknowingly mentioned the information to an informant. HSI Special Agent Ryan McEnany, along with local authorities, recruited undercover agents who would pose as drug dealers and “work with” Hyden to transport the drugs to Gainesville, Florida. Authorities eventually found the drugs, which were degraded, and arrested Hyden.
“It is interesting to see the work we do on a daily basis at HSI highlighted in a publication like GQ,” said McEnany. “This case represents the hard work of the undercover agents and collaborative effort with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.”
Hyden was sentenced to just 60 days in prison. However, for the next five years, he has to perform 20 hours of community service per week at Habitat for Humanity and was to build a splash park in Newberry, Florida. As McEnany describes in GQ, “[Hyden] has way more to contribute to society managing the construction of homes than sitting in a box.”
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