A father is supposed to protect his child. Julio Enmanuel Pena apparently never got that memo.
The 39-year-old Freeport man now faces a stack of serious felony charges after Nassau County police say he did the unthinkable — he used his 13-year-old daughter as his personal drug runner, sending the child to deliver cocaine to buyers and collect the cash while he stayed out of sight.
Investigators say Pena orchestrated a cocaine sale, but instead of showing up himself, he pushed his own daughter into the line of fire. The girl allegedly handed over the drugs and pocketed the money — all on her father’s orders.
Police arrested Pena at his home Monday at 12:40 p.m. More cocaine was found on the premises. He was hauled before a judge the very next day, flanked by his own parents — the same man who had just weaponized his child now leaning on his family for support.
The judge wasn’t buying the sympathetic scene. He expressed clear discomfort over the protection order situation, noting that Pena is the girl’s sole parent — the only adult in her life — and that same adult is now accused of exploiting her.
Pena walked out of court wearing an ankle monitor, telling reporters he denied everything and claimed to be both “mother and father” to his daughter. The street outside his apartment — sandwiched between a deli and a hair salon — told a different story.
“You just gotta pray for that girl, that’s all,” said Tahshaleek Wade, a longtime Freeport resident and parent. “Because they didn’t have a responsible parent… it often leads to more misguidance.”
Pena faces 8 charges in total: three counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, conspiracy, use of a child in a drug offense, and endangering the welfare of a child.
The case is ongoing. For the girl’s sake — let’s hope justice moves fast.
