Luis Gonzalez, Cocaine Trafficking, Pennsylvania 2024
SCRANTON, PA - Cocaine Trafficking Ring Cracked
A Texas man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in a cocaine trafficking ring in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.
Luis Gonzalez, 28, of El Paso, Texas, was sentenced on March 12, 2024, by U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani to 10 years' imprisonment on the charge of possession with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine.
According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Gonzalez previously pleaded guilty and admitted to possessing between 15 kilograms and 50 kilograms of cocaine for further distribution in the Lackawanna County area in September 2022.
Gonzalez and another individual, Jose Torres, 27, also of El Paso, Texas, were indicted by a grand jury in Scranton for cocaine trafficking in October 2022. The charges stem from an incident on September 29, 2022, in which members of the Pennsylvania State Police made a traffic stop of a vehicle in Lackawanna County.
Gonzalez and Torres were the occupants of the vehicle. A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of 16 individually wrapped kilograms of cocaine, having a street-value of approximately $500,000.
Co-defendant Jose Torres is still awaiting sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Pennsylvania State Police and the Scranton Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O'Hara prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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