Philadelphia Resident Sentenced to Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana

A resident of Philadelphia, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to 48 months’ imprisonment on his conviction of conspiracy to distribute marijuana, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Hector Rodriguez, age 42.

According to information presented to the court, from 2018 through 2019, Rodriguez conspired with others to traffic between 80-100 kilograms of marijuana from Philadelphia to the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Prior to imposing sentence, Senior Judge Schwab stated that the sentence was sufficient but not greater than necessary to achieve the goals of sentencing.

Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca L. Silinski and Tonya Sulia Goodman prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Allegheny County Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Narcotics, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Monroeville Police Department, Penn Hills Police Department, Wilkinsburg Police Department, and Allegheny County Adult Probation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Rodriguez.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.