Supplier To Drug Traffickers Gets Long Prison Term

PHILADELPHIA – Arthur Office, 45, of Houston, TX, was sentenced today to 144 months in prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy.  Office pleaded guilty on April 1, 2015, to conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 280 grams or more of cocaine base.

During an undercover investigation of co-conspirator Omar Vasquez in March of 2008, Vasquez was stopped by police while driving in Lancaster, PA.  He and a passenger fled and, with police in pursuit, they began throwing crack cocaine from the windows of their vehicle.  Police recovered approximately 128 grams of cocaine from the highway.  Agents with Homeland Security Investigations subsequently searched Vasquez’s car and home, recovering more drugs and money, and were able to trace the source of the cocaine to Arthur Office of Houston, Texas.

An investigation revealed that Office had been supplying cocaine to other drug dealers in Chester County since the late 1990s to 2009.  For several years, Office regularly  flew from Texas to Philadelphia personally carrying several kilograms of cocaine strapped to his body.  On two occasions in 2008 and 2009, on his way back to Texas from Philadelphia International Airport, HSI agents seized over $80,000 in U.S. currency from Office.

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Stengel ordered 5 years of supervised release, a $100 special assessment, and a fine of $2500.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lancaster Police Department and the Pennsylvania State Police.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James R. Pavlock.