Willie Alvarado, Jr., a 34-year-old resident of Utica, New York, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison. The sentence comes after his conviction for attempted possession with intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine and money laundering.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New York Division.
Alvarado's guilty plea included an admission that he began using the United States Postal Service to receive drug parcels from Puerto Rico as early as October 2022. In May 2023, law enforcement intercepted a package from Puerto Rico intended for Alvarado, which contained two kilograms of cocaine. Alvarado admitted his intention to distribute the cocaine found in the package. Additionally, he confessed to using another individual in September 2023 to launder at least $9,940 from his drug proceeds.
Senior United States District Court Judge David N. Hurd also imposed a four-year term of supervised release following Alvarado's prison term.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the DEA, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistance was provided by the New York State Police, Utica Police Department, Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, Syracuse Police Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica N. Carbone prosecuted the case.