Eleven persons have been charged in connection with a drug trafficking scheme that used the US Postal Service to transport cocaine between Puerto Rico and the US mainland.
In a statement, Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, announced Emmanuel A. Fernández García, Edwin Orlando Carrasquillo, Efraín Guillermo Vila Serrano, Marymar Marrero Torres, Pedro Benjamín Marrero Torres, Arajulia Ramírez Del Valle, Sebastián Restrepo Cano, Luis Dejesus III, Gadelys Rosario Alvarado, Tyrone José Beltrán Lugo and David Custodio Hernández were the persons charged in connection with the scheme.
They were arrested by law enforcement on February 14 in Massachusetts, Florida, and Puerto Rico.
Muldrow said a federal grand jury returned a nine-count indictment charging the suspects with intent to distribute and distribute cocaine using the US Postal Service.
According to court documents, from April of 2019 to September of 2022, the suspects knowingly and intentionally, combined, conspired, and agreed with others, to knowingly and intentionally possess with intent to distribute and distribute cocaine using the US Postal Service.
“Drug trafficking poses a significant threat to public health and safety,” said Muldrow. “This criminal organisation distributed cocaine into communities across the East Coast in various ways, including the mail. The US Attorney’s Office and its partners will continue to pursue drug traffickers and to seek justice for our communities.”
Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the US Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, commented: “The arrests…highlight the broad reach of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service when it comes to dismantling criminal drug trafficking organizations that pose a serious public safety threat.”
“Postal inspectors aggressively seek to rid the mail of illicit narcotics, preserve the integrity of the mail and, most importantly, provide a safe environment for postal employees and Postal Service customers. I would like to commend the hard work and countless hours put forth by all the law enforcement agencies on this case. Together we will prevent these dangerous and addictive drugs from reaching our streets and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.”
If convicted, the defendants face a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison for the conspiracy charged in count one of the indictment. They are also facing a narcotics forfeiture allegation of $6,930,000.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.