A 25-year-old New Britain man has been locked up for three years after admitting his role in a major cocaine trafficking network that shipped drugs through the U.S. Mail from Puerto Rico to Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Michael Rivera was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 36 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
Court records reveal Rivera worked alongside his brother, Luis “Gordo” Cirino, to distribute multi-kilogram shipments of cocaine in central Connecticut and northeastern Pennsylvania. The operation relied on the U.S. Mail to move bulk quantities of the drug, exploiting postal routes to avoid detection. Investigators ultimately seized approximately 13 kilograms of cocaine during the probe—a haul that underscores the scale of the enterprise.
The operation unraveled after a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment on October 18, 2017, charging Rivera, Cirino, and six associates with cocaine trafficking offenses. Rivera was arrested just one week later, on October 25, 2017. More than a year later, on January 25, 2019, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, cocaine.
His brother, Luis “Gordo” Cirino, also entered a guilty plea and was sentenced earlier this year on April 29, 2019, to 135 months—more than 11 years—behind bars. Authorities say Cirino was the architect of the shipping scheme, coordinating the flow of drugs from Puerto Rico to distribution points across two states.
The investigation was led by the DEA New Haven Task Force, working alongside the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and local police departments in Middletown and New Britain. The task force includes federal and local law enforcement from the U.S. Marshals Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, and police agencies in New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden, Derby, Naugatuck, and Waterbury.
Assistant U.S. Attorney H. Gordon Hall prosecuted the case, which marks another blow to organized drug networks using interstate mail systems to fuel addiction and violence. Rivera will serve his sentence under federal custody, with strict monitoring to follow upon release.
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Related Federal Cases
- Jose Torres Serrano Gets 66 Months for Cocaine Trafficking · Puerto Rico
- Wilkes-Barre Man Paul Rodriguez Gets 9 Years in Cocaine Ring · Puerto Rico
- “Gordo” Cirino Gets 11+ Years for Cocaine Pipeline · Puerto Rico
- Roberto Muniz Sentenced in Cocaine Mail Ring · Massachusetts
- Philadelphia Man Gets 10 Years for Cocaine Trafficking Ring · Puerto Rico
Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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