ERIE, Pa. \u2014 Fifteen individuals from Erie, Jamestown and Ohio have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of violating federal narcotics laws as the result of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced Monday during a press conference held at Erie City Hall.<\/p>\n
The defendants were named in two separate but related one-count Indictments. The first of those indictments charged 13 of the defendants with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute various quantities of fentanyl and\/or cocaine. The second indictment charges two additional defendants with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture and substance containing cocaine. <\/p>\n
Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis prosecution is another important example of our office\u2019s commitment to safeguard the people of northwestern Pennsylvania from the scourge of fentanyl and cocaine and \u2014 working with our law enforcement partners at the federal, state, and local levels \u2014 to bring to justice those responsible for endangering our families, friends, and neighbors,\u201d said United States Attorney Rivetti. <\/p>\n
\u201cDrug trafficking networks breed violence, organized criminal activity, addiction, and exploitation,\u201d said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Richard Evanchec. \u201cIllicit operations like this poison communities surrounding Lake Erie far beyond the individuals purchasing the drugs. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese defendants violated the law by trafficking illegal drugs within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,\u201d said Capt. Nicholas A. Cortes, Director of the Drug Law Enforcement Division of the Pennsylvania State Police. \u201cThe successful outcome of this investigation demonstrates the effectiveness of coordinated enforcement efforts among our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners. By dismantling this drug trafficking organization, investigators have disrupted the distribution of dangerous drugs and enhanced public safety throughout the Erie community. The Pennsylvania State Police commends the approximate five-month collaborative efforts of investigators from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Drug Law Enforcement Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations, and recognizes the United States Attorney\u2019s Office, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Erie City Police Department, the Edinboro Police Department, the Mill Creek Police Department,and the Erie City School Police Department for their continued partnership in keeping our communities safe from dangerous drugs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Assistant United States Attorney Paul S. Sellers is prosecuting this case on behalf of the <\/p>\n
government.<\/p>\n
Those charged in the first indictment include: Abner Cintron Melendez, 40 of Jamestown; Yirzak Caceres Perez, 28, of West Babylon, N.Y.; Thalia Dalie Lynch, 31, of Jamestown; Alberto Daniel <\/p>\n
Arroyo-Amaro, 27, of Erie; Brayan Omar Arroyo-Amaro, 29, of Erie; Yanelite Amaro Colon, 39 of Erie; Luis Serrano Mojica, 34 of Youngstown, Ohio; Juan Gustavo Cartagena Sr., 31 of Erie; Landy Gerebee Pacheco-Mendez, 34, of Erie; Lourdes Marie Cartagena, 30 of Erie; Luis Ramon Feliciano Martinez, 54 of Erie; Javier Carrasquillo, 47 of Jamestown; Mariah Arlene Jackson, 29, of Jamestown.<\/p>\n
Melendez and Lynch could face life in prison if convicted.<\/p>\n
Those facing indictment two include: Luis Antonio DeJesus Jr., 46, of Erie; and Daniel Tirado, 45, of Erie.<\/p>\n
This prosecution was part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The force is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the force directs the full might of United States law enforcement toward identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations that have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. <\/p>\n
In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. The Western District of Pennsylvania is part of the Philadelphia HSTF, which is comprised of agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), the United States Marshals Service (USMS), the United States Department of State-Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), and state and local law enforcement partners, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney\u2019s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
Among the state and local law enforcement partners that coordinated with the HSTF in this investigation were the Pennsylvania State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Drug Law Enforcement Division and the FBI Erie Resident Agency\u2019s Erie Area Gang Law Enforcement (EAGLE) Safe Streets Task Force, comprising investigators from the FBI, United States Customs and Border Protection, Erie Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Millcreek Police Department, Oil City Police Department, Franklin Police Department, Meadville Police Department, Edinboro Police Department, and Erie School District Police Department.<\/p>\n
The investigation was also conducted in association with the Northwest Pennsylvania Drug <\/p>\n
Initiative, which was formed following Erie County\u2019s designation as a High Intensity Drug <\/p>\n
Trafficking Area (HIDTA) in 2021. The HIDTA program was created by Congress in 1988 to <\/p>\n
coordinate and assist federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in addressing regional drug threats with the purpose of reducing drug trafficking and drug production in the United States. The Northwest Pennsylvania Drug Initiative coordinates personnel and resources between multiple agencies including the Pennsylvania State Police, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Erie Police Department, Erie County District Attorney\u2019s Office, Erie County Detectives, United States Postal Inspection Service, the EAGLE Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and other participating agencies.<\/p>\n
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