Cesar Rivera-Figueroa, Cocaine Conspiracy, New York 2017

Cesar Rivera-Figueroa, aka Fat Boy, a 28-year-old man from San Juan, Puerto Rico, has pleaded guilty to engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, a charge that carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $2,000,000 fine.

The crime occurred in Buffalo, New York, where Rivera-Figueroa was the leader of a drug trafficking organization that coordinated the transport of cocaine from multiple suppliers in Puerto Rico to the Buffalo area. He directed the distribution of cocaine, including setting the price of cocaine, directing the collection of debt, and the storage of proceeds.

Rivera-Figueroa also instructed his co-defendants to make trips to New York City to retrieve quantities of cocaine to bring back to Buffalo for distribution, and to make payment for the cocaine. Throughout the course of the conspiracy, several packages containing kilogram-quantities of cocaine were sent from Puerto Rico and were intercepted by the United States Postal Inspection Service.

Rivera-Figueroa was arrested in September 2017 along with 11 others, including Jenhsen Rodriguez; Daniel Navarro; Virgen Perez-Jurado; Josue Cardona-Soto; Devincio K.D. James; Omar Vazquez-Baez; Luis Andino; Joseph Jones; Quinton Jones; Sucley Romero; and Tori Rockmore. Rivera-Figueroa is the fourth defendant to be convicted.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert; the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division; the United States Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, under the direction of Inspector-in-Charge Joseph W. Cronin; the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood; the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Edward Kennedy; and the Erie County Sheriff’s office, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Howard.

Sentencing is scheduled for November 8, 2019, before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo in Buffalo, New York.

Rivera-Figueroa’s guilty plea is a significant blow to the drug trafficking organization, and it highlights the efforts of law enforcement agencies in combating the flow of narcotics into the Buffalo area.

The case serves as a reminder that drug trafficking is a serious crime that carries severe penalties, including lengthy prison sentences and substantial fines.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdny/pr/ringleader-who-headed-cocaine-conspiracy-between-puerto-rico-and-buffalo-pleads-guilty