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Press Release

New York Man Sentenced To 60 Months’ Imprisonment For Cocaine Trafficking

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Pennsylvania

SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on January 8, 2019, United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani sentenced Luis Santos, age 51, of New York, to 60 months’ imprisonment and a three-year term of supervised release, for conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Santos, his co-defendant, Rafael Lora, and other individuals conspired to import nearly a kilogram of cocaine from the Dominican Republic to Hazleton, Pennsylvania.  After being charged and released on pretrial supervision, Santos was arrested attempting to enter Canada bearing false identification documents.  He was charged and convicted in the Northern District of New York for that offense.

Santos was a citizen of the Dominican Republic and obtained permanent residency in the United States.  However, as a result of this conviction, he is subject to potential deportation.

This case was also brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspectors, Customs and Border Patrol, and other state and local law enforcement agencies.  Assistant United States Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo prosecuted the case.

 

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Updated February 5, 2019

Topic
Project Safe Neighborhoods