Three postal service employees in Puerto Rico are facing serious charges after being arrested for their alleged involvement in a massive cocaine trafficking operation. According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Edgardo C. Sánchez-Sosa, Guelvin Benítez-Carrasquillo, and Gellitza Ortiz-Martínez have been charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
The investigation, which was led by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG), the U.S. Postal Inspection Services (USPIS), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), revealed that the defendants had been using their positions to facilitate the trafficking of cocaine through the postal service.
According to the affidavit submitted in support of the criminal complaint, the USPS OIG started receiving allegations from the USPIS in September 2019 that parcels were arriving at the Canóvanas Post Office with the labels broken or swapped and the barcodes torn. The parcels had a new label with a new address.
On September 26, 2019, USPS OIG agents executed multiple search warrants on parcels that were handled and relabeled, and all search warrants tested positive for the presence of cocaine. The investigation also revealed that on October 1, 2019, employee Sánchez-Sosa mishandled parcels and used his phone during the process to take pictures of the parcels.
Defendant Guelvin Benítez-Carrasquillo was the Highway Contract Carrier for route 4 in Canóvanas. Benítez-Carrasquillo would receive the packages containing cocaine from Sánchez-Sosa. He was arrested on October 3.
As a result of the investigation, agents discovered and seized 24 packages of cocaine that defendant Gellitza Ortiz-Martínez and Sánchez-Sosa had been trafficking. The packages recovered had a combined weight of 25.91kg for an estimated street value of more than $500,000.
The case is being prosecuted by U.S. Postal Service, Special Assistant United States Attorney Camille García. If convicted, the defendants could face a minimum penalty of 10 years up to life in prison. A criminal complaint contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Key Facts
- State: Puerto Rico
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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