The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a Harrisburg drug trafficker was sentenced today before Senior United States District Court Judge William W. Caldwell to 134 months imprisonment. Judge Caldwell further ordered that Raul Rentas, age 29, pay a $1,100 fine and serve a five year term of supervised release.

     According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, following a shooting in Harrisburg in September 2010, investigators learned that Rentas and two co-defendants were involved in the shooting as retaliation for a robbery and kidnapping that was carried out against a member of a group to which Rentas is associated. Police went to Rentas’ residence. Upon their arrival, Rentas was observed running upstairs and then returning to the front door several minutes later. Rentas was arrested on an outstanding warrant and admitted to police that he was alerting others that the police were at the residence. While arresting Rentas, police observed a co-defendant throwing a boot onto a neighbor’s roof.

     A search warrant executed that same day resulted in the seizure of the boot which contained cocaine hydrochloride, 120 grams of cocaine hydrochloride, 23.6 grams of heroin, digital scales, a cigar cutter, packaging materials, cell phones, U.S. currency, a .45 caliber pistol, a .40 caliber pistol, a .357 caliber revolver and a .38 caliber revolver. The .357 revolver matched ballistics for the bullet that was recovered from the shooting in September.

     In March 2011, an eight-count indictment was returned charging Rentas and four co-defendants. Rentas was charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine hydrochloride, distribution of heroin and cocaine hydrochloride, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm. In October 2011, Rentas pleaded guilty.

     Rentas’ co-defendants, Jose Cintron, Juan Cintron-Figueroa, Victor Colon-Baez and Jonthan Godines-Rocincuet are all awaiting trial scheduled for June 6, 2012.

     The case was investigated by Harrisburg City Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Daryl F. Bloom.

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An Indictment or Information is not evidence of guilt but simply a description of the charge made by the Grand Jury and/or United States Attorney against a defendant. A charged Defendant is presumed innocent until a jury returns a unanimous finding that the United States has proven the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt or until the defendant has pled guilty to the charges.

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