A massive 2016 drug bust in Miami Lakes — the largest cash seizure in Miami-Dade history — is now the inspiration for the Netflix film The Rip, starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.
The movie dramatizes a real-life investigation led by former Miami-Dade Police officer Chris Casiano and his narcotics team, though filmmakers have taken creative liberties. In the film, Affleck and Damon portray police officers whose trust frays after discovering millions of dollars in a derelict stash house.
On June 28, 2016, authorities raided a home near Northwest 169th Terrace and 77th Path, owned by a suspected marijuana trafficker. Inside a hidden attic compartment, investigators found more than $21 million stuffed into dozens of five-gallon buckets purchased from Home Depot.
Luis Hernandez-Gonzalez was arrested on drug and firearms charges following a joint investigation by Miami-Dade police and the DEA. His sister, Salma Hernandez, was also taken into custody. Prosecutors said Hernandez-Gonzalez trafficked marijuana to Tennessee and operated a hydroponics store, The Blossom Experience, which authorities said supported illegal grow operations.
Although major drug charges were initially filed, Hernandez-Gonzalez later reached a plea deal in 2018. He pleaded guilty to money laundering and structuring bank deposits, while trafficking charges were dropped. Under the agreement, he was allowed to keep $4 million, his home, his business, and several luxury watches.
He was ultimately sentenced to 65 months in federal prison.
The Rip, directed by Joe Carnahan, is now streaming on Netflix.
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