(This story was updated to accurately reflect the most current information.)
Fifteen people, including nine from Erie, have been indicted on federal charges that they trafficked in fentanyl and cocaine in a case that authorities said led to the seizure earlier this year of a kilogram of fentanyl, 3½ kilos of cocaine and more than $100,000 in cash.
One source of the drugs was in Puerto Rico, federal officials said in announcing the indictments on May 18, moments after the cases were unsealed in U.S. District Court in Erie. The defendants are accused of dealing in the drugs from October 2025 to around the time they were indicted, the officials said.
The charges represent federal, local and state law enforcement’s “drive to dismantle an organization that was selling drugs in our district,” Troy Rivetti, the Pittsburgh-based U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, which includes Erie, said at the news conference.
He said the charges “disrupt the flow of these dangerous narcotics with which they sought to poison our community.”
Troy Rivetti, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, speaks at a news conference at City Hall on May 18, at which he announced the indictment of 15 people on drug charges
Four of the other defendants are from Jamestown, New York, one is from Youngstown, Ohio, and another is from West Babylon, on Long Island, New York, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The defendants were charged in two separate but related indictments — one names 13 defendants and the other names two.
All but two of the defendants were arrested swiftly
The defendants were indicted on May 12 and were arrested several days later, according to arrest records. Two of the defendants remained at large on May 18.
Fifteen defendants have been indicted in federal court in Erie on charges they trafficked in large amounts of fentanyl and cocaine in Erie.
A task force with the federal Department of Homeland Security led the investigation. At the news conference, officials with the task force released information on seized drugs. They said investigators found the drugs after serving search warrants in January and March.
The kilogram of fentanyl is “enough to kill 500,000 Americans,” Richard Evanchec, the FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office, which includes Erie, said at the news conference.
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In a statement released after the news conference, Evanchec said, “To those who think they can ship dangerous drugs into the heart of our community, no matter how sophisticated the operation, the FBI and our partners will pursue you across time zones and international borders to protect the American people.”
A list of the defendants
The names and addresses of the defendants are based on arrest records and the indictments. The addresses are for the residences where the defendants were arrested.
Residences in Erie:
Yanelite Amaro-Colon, 39, 400 block of East 11th Street
Alberto D. Arroyo-Amaro, 27, 300 block of East Ninth Street
Brayan O. Arroyo-Amaro, 29, 300 block of East Ninth Street
Juan G. Cartagena Sr., 31. 1000 block of West 27th Street
Lourdes Marie Cartagena, 30, 1000 block of West 27th Street
Luis A. DeJesus Jr., 46, 700 block of East 25th Street
Luis R. Feliciano Martinez, 54, 800 block of East 25th Street
Landy G. Pacheco Mendez, 34, 800 block of East 26th Street
Residences in Jamestown, New York
Abner Cintron-Melendez, 40
Residence in Youngstown, Ohio
Residence in West Babylon, New York
Cacares-Perez and Tirado were the only defendants not arrested as of the morning of May 18. Arraignments and detention hearings were to occur starting on May 18, according to court records.
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Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Sellers is prosecuting the cases. Assisting him are Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Anglin and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Trabold, the head of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Erie.
Cash seized at different residences
The lead defendant in the larger indictment is Cintron-Melendez. He and the other 12 defendants in that case are all charged with the felony of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances — cocaine, fentanyl or both.
The lead defendant in the other indictment is DeJesus. He and Tirado, his co-defendant, are charged with the felony of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine.
Both cases included the seizure of cash, according to the indiotments. The authorities said at the news conference that investigators also seized four firearms.
The largest amount of cash was seized in the larger case — a total of $102,235, according the indictment. It states in investigators seized $26,346 from a residence in Jamestown, New York, and $12,144 from another Jamestown residence, both on Jan. 7.
Investigators seized $63,745 from a residence in the 300 block of East Ninth Street in Erie on March 13, according to the indictment. That is the same address of the residence where Alberto Arroyo-Amaro was arrested, according to arrest records. He is ranked the fourth-highest defendant in the larger indictment.
Authorities seized $6,206 in the investigation that led to the smaller indictment, according to court records.
Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@usatodayco.com or 814-870-1813.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Fentanyl, cocaine seized in Erie federal drug probe of 15 defendants