Chicago Resident Pleads Guilty To Participating In Multi-State Heroin Trafficking Conspiracy

SCRANTON-The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a 39-year-old Mexican national who resided in Chicago at the time of his arrest pled guilty today before U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani to participating in a drug conspiracy that was responsible for distributing large quantities of heroin during a four-year time period in Monroe, Carbon, Montgomery, and Berks Counties in Pennsylvania.

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the defendant, Romualdo Hermosillo-Avendano, also known as “Flaco,” admitted to distributing more than one kilogram of heroin via courier from Chicago to Pennsylvania during December 2013-January 2014.

Hermosillo-Avendano was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2014, as a result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, Berks County Detectives and Montgomery County Detectives.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the case.

Hermosillo-Avendano faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a potential maximum sentence of life in prison. He also faces possible deportation as a result of his guilty plea. Judge Mariani ordered a pre-sentence report to be completed. Sentencing is scheduled to take place in April 2016.

This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the heroin initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The maximum penalty under federal law is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

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