PHILADELPHIA – A woman from Puerto Rico is facing a lifetime behind bars after admitting to smuggling nearly 15 pounds of cocaine into Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). Karelys Colon Sevilla, 29, of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, entered a guilty plea today before United States District Judge Kelley Brisbon Hodge on one count of possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.
The bust went down back in February, but the details, delayed by the recent federal government shutdown between October 1, 2025, and November 12, 2025, paint a picture of a carefully planned, yet ultimately failed, drug run. Colon Sevilla was indicted in May 2024, following her initial arrest on a criminal complaint and warrant.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) received a tip that Colon Sevilla was traveling commercially from Puerto Rico, with a layover in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and was potentially carrying narcotics. Investigators didn’t rely on a hunch; they secured an anticipatory search warrant from the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas for her checked luggage, but with a crucial condition: a positive alert from a police K-9 unit.
When Colon Sevilla’s flight landed at PHL, Pennsylvania State Police K-9 Ivan and his handler went to work. Ivan systematically sniffed every piece of checked luggage from the flight. He stopped at one bag – a blue-gray soft-sided bag with Colon Sevilla’s name and flight information. The alert was all investigators needed. Inside, they found approximately 6.8 kilograms (roughly 15 pounds) of a white powder that later tested positive as cocaine.
Colon Sevilla is now scheduled for sentencing on February 3. She’s looking at a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment, a minimum of five years of supervised release, and a hefty $10 million fine. This wasn’t a small-time operation, and the feds are making sure the punishment fits the crime.
The investigation was a collaborative effort, involving HSI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Philadelphia Police Department, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Eileen Castilla Geiger is prosecuting the case, ensuring Colon Sevilla faces the full weight of the law.
Related Federal Cases
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- Wilkes-Barre Man Paul Rodriguez Gets 9 Years in Cocaine Ring · Puerto Rico
- Drayton & Fraction Hit With Cocaine Sentences · Puerto Rico
- Michael Rivera Gets 3 Years for Cocaine Trafficking Ring · Puerto Rico
Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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