NORFOLK, Va. – In a stunning turn of events, Juan Rivera-Gutierrez, 35, and Pedro Pabon, Jr., 42, both from Virginia Beach, have been caught red-handed in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine on an industrial scale.
The duo, according to court documents, were selling wholesale quantities of the drug between September 2013 and April 2017. They offered kilogram levels of cocaine at prices ranging from $34,000 to $42,000. The DEA’s Special Agents conducted nine controlled purchases, recovering over 500 grams of cocaine in the process.
During one such transaction, Pabon suggested adding a cutting agent known as “Aroma” to boost profits. Another sale saw Rivera-Gutierrez selling $2,000 worth of cocaine along with five firearms and multiple ammunition clips, including a Department of Defense asset—a silencer—and various rifles, all stolen.
Rivera-Guitterez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine, possession of firearms during and relation to a drug trafficking crime, and possession of an unregistered firearm. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison with a maximum penalty of life. Pabon pleaded guilty to the same charge, facing a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years.
The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente, Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring, DEA Special Agent in Charge Karl C. Colder, and ATF Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Boxler. Sentencing is set for September 21st.
For more information, visit the websites of the U.S. Attorney’s Office or the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or search PACER using Case No. 2:17-cr-60.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Weapons|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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