Two Scranton men were in possession of more than 1,000 grams of cocaine sent from Puerto Rico, police charge.
Narcotics agents with the state Office of the Attorney General investigated over several months individuals who shipped parcels of narcotics through the U.S. Postal Service, according to a criminal complaint. The agents seized five parcels destined for Scranton and other areas of Lackawanna County — each testing positive for cocaine.
Investigators learned the week of Oct. 19 about other suspicious packages. The parcels were tracked by IP addresses originating from the same area as those previously seized. Additionally, they were all shipped from source drug cities in Puerto Rico, authorities said.
An agent with the state attorney general’s office spotted a parcel that week originating from Puerto Rico and scheduled for delivery to 202 Moosic Road in Old Forge on Friday. Investigators determined the addressee was not associated with the delivery address.
Law enforcement officials established surveillance Friday in the area of 202 Moosic Road and the Taylor Borough Post Office and observed a mail carrier arrive at 202 Moosic Road and deliver a parcel to the porch, authorities said.
Investigators then saw a man exit a residence at 204 Moosic Road, retrieve the parcel and take it inside 204 Moosic Road, according to the criminal complaint.
Investigators also saw a gray Toyota Tacoma, registered to Mira Del Carmen Genao Perez of Scranton, park in the alley behind 204 Moosic Road. The man who took the parcel carried it while walking to the truck, authorities said.
Two men exited the vehicle, including the driver, identified by state police as Carlos Esteban Lantigua, 48, according to the criminal complaint. The passenger of the Toyota, identified by police as lan Carlo Esteban Rosa, 21, retrieved an orange cargo container from the cab of the vehicle. The man who took the parcel handed it over and it was placed in the bin, authorities said.
Investigators, who followed the Tacoma, provided a description to state police, who were able to stop the vehicle at 600 N. Main St., Taylor, according to the criminal complaint.
State police noted several of the parcels involved in the investigation were addressed to 618 Maple St., Apt. No. 2, Scranton — the location where the two men in the truck resided, authorities said.
After a police dog identified the presence of drugs in the Tacoma from outside the vehicle, authorities obtained a search warrant for the truck. They seized one kilogram of suspected cocaine from inside the parcel, a shipping label on the parcel, a GPS tracking device inside the parcel, and an iPhone with a red case, according to the criminal complaint.
The brick of suspected cocaine was stamped with “707,” authorities said.
Esteban Rosa told authorities he relocated to Scranton from Puerto Rico about two weeks ago and moved in with his father, according to the criminal complaint. He also admitted being in the area of Moosic Road on Friday with his father in a truck owned by his father’s friend but stated he did not know the man who placed the parcel in the truck or what it contained, police said.
Esteban Lantigua told investigators he’s been in the United States for about a year and previously lived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, authorities said. After first telling investigators he was looking for work as an independent contractor in Moosic and got lost, he changed his story to say he received a phone call from an unknown man Friday morning who needed a plumbing job done at his residence.
Esteban Lantigua said the man gave him and his son a package when they arrived, but didn’t tell either of them what to do with it, according to the criminal complaint.
After Puerto Rico officials obtained a federal search warrant, they discovered a parcel intended for the Maple Street apartment, addressed to Rico Rodriguez and shipped from San Juan, contained a one kilogram brick of suspected cocaine stamped with “707,” which resembled the stamp found on the brick inside the Tacoma truck, authorities said.
Puerto Rico officials said the brick tested positive for cocaine and weighed 1,030 grams.
During an interview, investigators noted Esteban Lantigua knew the parcel was not in his name or going to his address without looking at a picture of the parcel or being provided any information about it.
Both men — charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance — were remanded to Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail.
A preliminary hearing for both men is scheduled for Nov. 5 at 9:15 a.m.