WEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A federal drug bust in West Miami-Dade ended with one person dead in a police-involved shooting and one person arrested.
During the early morning raid on Thursday, investigators were seen shouting commands in the dark.
Banging on windows, officials with the U.S. Marshal, Homeland Security agents and Miami-Dade Police detectives were serving a search warrant at a home on 127th Avenue and Southwest 19th Street.
“I believe that at 4 o’clock, when they raided his house, he surrendered and at around 11 everything was OK,” said a neighbor. “At 11:30 it was like a swarm of ants, police officers came out running out of the house guns drawn, guns drawn.”
“What we do know is that this individual was wanted,” said Miami-Dade Police detective Alvaro Zabaleta.
Police said the investigation took a turn when the suspect, whose family said is diabetic, indicated he wasn’t feeling well.
Neighbors said that the police uncuffed him and sat him down on his couch.
“While he was getting medically evaluated, the subject somehow was able to arm himself,” said Zabaleta. “That’s when shots were fired.”
The 53-year-old was identified by his family as Hector Portuondo.
Portuondo, according to police, was shot and died on the scene.
Another suspect in the home, identified as 51-year-old Nancy Ricardo was arrested. Police said that Ricardo took Portuondo’s cellphone and started deleting important information from it.
Ricardo is being charged with several drug charges including trafficking meth and marijuana.
“He was everything to us,” said Portuondo’s daughter Jessica. “My father is a great man. He has a heart of gold. That is why I don’t believe what they tell me. I don’t know.”
A photo released by Miami-Dade Police after a search of the home revealed that police found a rifle, other guns, ammunition, drugs and more than $55,000 in cash.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting.
Neighbors mentioned that they have seen undercover cops surveilling the area for weeks before the incident occurred.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.