YORK, Pa. — A York man will serve up to 10 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced Wednesday.
Joel Nieves Ortega, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson on Feb. 3, according to U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus.
He was accused of receiving and attempting to receive packages of cocaine sent from Puerto Rico by U.S. Mail in March and September of 2019, according to Gurganus.
Ortega also sent money back to Puerto Rico by mail as part of his drug trafficking activities, Gurganus said.
His co-conspirators in the case, Luis Manuel Quesada Rodriguez, Alex Rivera Ramos, Jose Colon Declet, and Pedro Diaz have all pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing, according to Gurganus.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Dalke is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
