Home Albany Press Releases 2010 Seven Charged Federally in Major Utica Cocaine Trafficking Ring
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Seven Charged Federally in Major Utica Cocaine Trafficking Ring

U.S. Attorney's Office August 06, 2010
  • Northern District of New York (315) 448-0672

Richard S. Hartunian, United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York, announces federal drug trafficking charges against seven individuals in connection with a vast cocaine distribution network operating between Utica, New York and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Set forth below is a listing of those charged, all of whom reside in Utica:

  1. EFRAIN RIVERA, aka “DOMINICAN FRANKIE,” age 36;
  2. CARLOS MARTINEZ-GUERRIDO, aka “CARLITO,” age 22;
  3. EDGARDO SANTIAGO-GUERRIDO, aka “KUCHO,” age 23;
  4. JUAN RIVERA-GUERRIDO, aka “TITO,” age 31;
  5. ALEXIS COLON, aka “POPPO,” age 23;
  6. CARLOS GONZALEZ-GUERRIDO, age 31; and
  7. ANA REYNOSO, age 18.

These seven defendants have been charged by Complaint in U.S. District Court in Syracuse with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841 and 846. If convicted, each defendant faces up to twenty years in prison, up to a $1 million fine, and at least three years of supervised release following any period of incarceration.1

All of the defendants have been apprehended in either Utica or Puerto Rico except CARLOS GONZALEZ-GUERRIDO, who remains at large. Anyone with information as to his whereabouts can call the U.S. Marshals Service hotline at 315-473-7625.

To date, this investigation has netted the seizure of (1) approximately 1.5 kilograms of cocaine, with a street value of at least $150,000; (2) several ounces of crack cocaine; (3) approximately $10,000 in U.S. Currency; (4) a kilo press used to process cocaine; (5) various drug packaging paraphernalia; and (6) three vehicles used to facilitate their drug trafficking activities.

These arrests resulted from an investigation undertaken by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Oneida County Drug Task Force, which is comprised of detectives from the Utica, Rome and New Hartford Police Departments and the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office.

Further inquiries can be directed to Assistant U. S. Attorney John M. Katko, Syracuse, New York at (315) 448-0916.

1 The charges announced today are mere allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

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