Two Men Sentenced to 70-Month Prison Terms On Federal Drug Distribution Charges

            WASHINGTON – Ronald H. Furman, 34, of Philadelphia, and Juan R. Zenil, 31, of Donna, Texas, have been sentenced to 70-month prison terms on federal drug distribution charges, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Neil Trugman, Chief of the Amtrak Police Department, and Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Division Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

            Furman and Zenil earlier pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of unlawful possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. They were sentenced on Jan. 11, 2018, by the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan. Following his prison term, Furman will be placed on four years of supervised release. After his prison term, Zenil is subject to deportation to Mexico.

            According to the government’s evidence, on the night of Dec. 1, 2016, Furman and Zenil together boarded an Amtrak train in Atlanta. They were travelling together to Philadelphia on tickets that Furman had purchased. On Dec. 2, 2016, the Amtrak train arrived at Union Station in Washington, D.C. for a stopover.

            At that time, law enforcement officers approached Furman and Zenil.  Zenil, consented to a search of his bag and officers discovered approximately two kilograms of cocaine inside, wrapped in plastic and duct tape. After a drug dog alerted to the presence of a controlled substance in Furman’s bag, officers obtained a search warrant. In a search of the bag, officers discovered approximately three kilograms of cocaine wrapped in plastic and duct tape.

            Furman and Zenil were both placed under arrest. According to the government’s evidence, Furman and Zenil possessed this cocaine jointly with the intent to distribute it to others.  Both men have been in custody since their arrests.

            In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Liu, Amtrak Chief Trugman, and Special Agent in Charge Colder commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Amtrak Police Department and the DEA. They also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Jeannette Litz and Teesha Tobias. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Bateman and Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole, who indicted and prosecuted the case.