Richard Georgelos, Cocaine Conspiracy, Pennsylvania 2017

A man from Arizona has pleaded guilty to his role in a massive cocaine conspiracy that spanned multiple states and involved numerous law enforcement agencies.

Richard Georgelos, 37, of Santa Cruz, Arizona, admitted to conspiring to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine between 2017 and 2019. The crime was uncovered through a multi-agency investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.

Georgelos will be sentenced on July 13, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. before United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan. Under federal law, he faces a sentence of at least 5 years and up to 40 years in prison, as well as a fine of up to $5,000,000.

The investigation involved numerous agencies, including the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Beaver County District Attorney's Office, the Department of Homeland Security/Homeland Security Investigations, the Pittsburgh Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Munhall Police Department, the Robinson Township Police Department, the McKees Rocks Police Department, the Stowe Township Police Department, the Etna Police Department, and the Erie County District Attorney's Office.

This case is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation, which targets high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States.

Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Georgelos' guilty plea brings an end to a long and complex investigation that involved numerous law enforcement agencies working together to dismantle a major cocaine conspiracy.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/arizona-man-pleads-guilty-cocaine-conspiracy