⏱ 2 min read
Hector Riano-Corcuera, a 34-year-old Mexican national, was busted in June 2025 for selling approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine to another person in East Brunswick, New Jersey. When law enforcement officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) tried to arrest him, Riano-Corcuera took off, but they caught up with him and found a loaded Sig Sauer 9mm firearm in his bag. A search of his home turned up even more cocaine, two semiautomatic rifles, three handguns, and ammunition.
Riano-Corcuera pleaded guilty to distribution of controlled substances and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on January 8, 2026. On May 19, 2026, he was sentenced to 120 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi in Trenton federal court.
In addition to the prison term, Riano-Corcuera will also serve five years of supervised release and forfeit the firearms and ammunition used in the crime. The investigation was led by the DEA, with assistance from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and IRS-Criminal Investigation.
The sentence is a significant blow to cocaine distribution in New Jersey, and law enforcement officials are hailing it as a major victory in the war on drugs. Riano-Corcuera’s case is just one example of the ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking and violence in the state.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Drug Trafficking
- Defendant: New Jersey
- Location: NJ
- Source: DOJ Press Release

