Waterbury’s own ‘Pancho’ is about to spend a decade behind bars for his role in the local cocaine trade. Ernesto Luis Delgado, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for trafficking cocaine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Delgado was a linchpin of a drug trafficking organization based in Waterbury. They operated with brazen efficiency, importing kilogram-quantities of the illegal substance via the U.S. Mail from suppliers in Puerto Rico and then distributing it throughout the area.
But the wheels of justice finally caught up on July 15, 2017, when investigators swooped in at a Waterbury post office to seize a package containing $100,000 in cash that Delgado had mailed to his supplier. The money was a mere fraction of what Delgado’s gang was raking in — approximately $25,000 for every kilogram of cocaine they sold.
Delgado’s arrest came on December 1, 2017, when he was caught with two parcels containing a total of four kilograms of the illegal drug. He has been detained ever since. On January 28, 2019, Delgado pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine.
Delgado’s sentencing marks the culmination of a joint investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Waterbury Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Dave Vatti handled the prosecution. In an additional blow to the drug ring, Jose L. Rivera, 41, was sentenced on September 12, 2018, to 60 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for his part in the cocaine trafficking network.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the relentless effort by federal authorities to crack down on organized crime and its tentacles that reach across state lines. As ‘Pancho’ Delgado learns the hard way, justice is swift — even for drug kingpins who think they can outwit the law.
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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