A Cuban-born former Boston Red Sox pitching prospect was arrested on drug charges last week in Florida.
Yusniel Padron Artiles was arrested by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office on Feb. 19 according to Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation records, and the former pitcher is charged with trafficking cocaine while armed and possession of a place for the purpose of trafficking or manufacturing drugs.
According to a report from WTVJ, the NBC affiliate in Miami, Padron Artiles was arrested after a confidential informant told the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office that Padron Artiles was selling cocaine. The informant made four separate purchases of cocaine from Padron Artiles as part of a buy-and-bust operation before cops executed a search warrant on the former pitcher’s residence in Hialeah.
When cops searched Padron Artiles’ home at 390 West 53rd Avenue, they found around 45 grams of cocaine in separate bags in a purse in a bedroom, another eight grams of cocaine in a closet, two guns, and a little over $1,200 in cash.
Padron Artiles last appeared in professional baseball in 2024 with the Quebec Capitales of the independent Frontier League, throwing 53 2/3 innings with a 5.53 ERA. He previously pitched four seasons in the Red Sox minor league system after Boston selected him in the 22nd round of the 2018, rising as high as Double-A Portland in 2022. He also appeared in the 2023 Caribbean Series in Caracas, Venezuela, making one appearance for Panama, and pitched for Cuba at the 2024 WBSC Premier12.
He is being held in the Miami-Dade pending a bond hearing.
