Former Miami police officer sentenced to 11 years in prison for racketeering plot

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida. – A federal judge in Fort Lauderdale sentenced a former Miami police officer to more than 11 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to extorting suspects for cash and drugs after he was caught in an undercover operation in 2023, according to authorities.

Miami’s police chief and South Florida’s top federal prosecutor were scheduled to speak Tuesday morning after Frenel Cenat’s sentencing.

Cenat posed as a drug enforcement agent and at one point identified himself as “Officer Martez” of the Miami PD – Dade County Narcotics Unit. In his unmarked police car, he stopped undercover officers and demanded money and drugs in exchange for avoiding jail time, authorities said.

Cenat, 40 years old at the time of his arrest, was caught after taking $80,000 and seven kilograms of counterfeit cocaine from an undercover agent.

In March, he pleaded guilty to attempted extortion under the Hobbs Act and attempted possession of cocaine with intent to resell.

In addition to 135 months in prison, the judge ordered Cenat to serve five years of supervised release after his release. The judge denied Cenat’s request for a 30-day surrender period.

Among those scheduled to speak after Cenat’s sentencing are Miami Police Chief Manny Morales and Markenzy Lapointe, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.