The final three defendants in a cocaine trafficking case were sentenced recently in U.S. District Court, marking the conclusion of a significant drug conspiracy investigation. Herminio Gonzalez-Quintana, identified as the lead defendant, received a 10-year prison sentence. The organization involved was responsible for transporting large quantities of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Ohio.
The group was indicted in November 2023 on charges related to distributing and possessing cocaine with intent to distribute. The DEA began investigating the operation in 2021, uncovering that the defendants shipped cocaine using the United States Postal Service to various addresses in Columbus, Ohio. These shipments often used fictitious names and were sent to friends and family members' addresses.
The investigation revealed that nearly 20 kilograms of cocaine were seized from this operation. The sentences for each defendant are as follows:
- Herminio Gonzalez-Quintana: 120 months
- Abdel Padilla-Montero: 108 months
- Josaias Vazquez-Pinero: 60 months
- Jonathan Vega-Iglesias: 66 months
- Jesus Maldonado-Ortiz: 60 months
- Rafael Alicea-Ruiz: 60 months
- Anthony Miranda-Gonzalez: 12 months and one day
- Pablo Joel Velazquez-Torruella: Time served
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Andrew Lawton, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA's Detroit Division, announced these sentences imposed by Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorneys S. Courter Shimeall and Jennifer M. Rausch represented the prosecution.