Members of Drug Trafficking Organization Arrested

READING—Indictments were unsealed today against Steven J. Santana, Jr., Lameek Staton, Samuel Valles, Luis Berrios, Jose Olmeda, Elvin Perez, Cori DeVault, and DeShante Lewis, all members of the Santana Drug Trafficking Organization (“SDTO”), charging them in a conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and heroin, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. Joining in today’s announcement were FBI Special-Agent-in-Charge Janice K. Fedarcyk, with the Philadelphia office, Reading Mayor Tom McMahon, Berks County District Attorney John Adams, Pennsylvania State Police Captain Dante Orlandi, and Reading Police Chief William Heim.

Santana is charged with each of the 18 counts, including five gun-related offenses. Related indictments were unsealed against Dominic Mosley and Jose Acevedo. The investigation and charges are part of the 222 Corridor Anti-Gang Initiative.

“Because Reading is located in the middle of the Route 222 Corridor,” said Memeger, "drug traffickers, such as the Santana Drug Trafficking Organization and others, have made the serious miscalculation that their crimes would go unnoticed, that they would be able to sell drugs without fear, and that they would not face punishment for their crimes. This indictment is yet the most recent example why they are wrong.”

According to the indictments, between February 2009, and today’s arrests, Santana and his co-defendants were distributing drugs, including heroin and crack cocaine, in and around the Reading area. The SDTO obtained the drugs from suppliers in New York City and elsewhere, processed and packaged the drugs, and sold them to other drug dealing customers. The indictment recounts a dozen drug transactions. Santana is additionally charged with possessing a gun in furtherance of drug trafficking, and, along with Omar Shivers-Spencer, selling a firearm to a convicted felon. Dominic Mosley and Jose Acevedo are each charged in separate indictments with selling drugs and being a felon in possession of firearms.

“These types of joint drug investigations are intended to not only rid our communities of those criminal predators that destroy the very fabric of safety and security that all law-abiding citizens expect and deserve,” said Special Agent in Charge Janice K. Fedarcyk of the Philadelphia Division of the FBI, “but also to send the clear message that federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies are working together to aggressively address the violent gang and drug problems that communities like Reading have faced.”

“The positive results of this morning’s actions are the result of increased cooperation between many law enforcement agencies,” said Mayor McMahon. “We very much appreciate the involvement of the U.S. Attorney’s office, county law enforcement, state police, as well as others assisting Reading police department to help make our city a safer place. We will continue to pursue these kinds of actions relentlessly.”

INFORMATION REGARDING THE DEFENDANTS

If convicted, Santana faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison, with a mandatory minimum 25 years in prison, and a $62,000,000 fine. The remaining defendants face a range of maximum sentences from 20 years in prison to life in prison.

This case is part of the “222 Corridor Anti-Gang Intitiative,” a federally funded program designed to investigate and prosecute some of the most violent and pervasive gangs in the country. The “222 Corridor” includes the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Reading, Lancaster, York, and Harrisburg. This initiative combines federal, state, and local law enforcement resources to attack gang crime and violence throughout the corridor. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Reading Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Berks County District Attorney’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Abrams.