Indictment Charging Eight York City Men Affiliated with the Latin Kings Street Gang with Drug Trafficking Unsealed
| U.S. Attorney’s Office May 17, 2013 |
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District Pennsylvania announced the unsealing of an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Harrisburg on April 17 charging eight men affiliated with the Latin Kings street gang with drug trafficking in York City. The indictment was unsealed today following the arrests and initial appearances.
According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, the indictment resulted from a two-year investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police and the York County Drug Task Force, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In that investigation, hundreds of purchases of heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine were made from dozens of individuals affiliated with the Latin Kings street gang. That investigation resulted in the arrest of dozens of individuals in a sweep that began on February 6, 2013, in York County.
The United States Attorney’s Office indicted the following individuals for their role in this larger drug trafficking conspiracy: August Ranalli, age 31; Marcus Garcia, age 26; David Ramsey, age 31; Antonio Navaro-Garcia, age 21; Brandon Jones, age 24; Michael Enriquez, age 28; Daniel Pacheco-Morales, age 41; and Carlos Martinez-Villalongo, age 36. All of the defendants are from York, Pennsylvania.
An indictment of August Ranalli was originally returned on December 12, 2012, in which he was charged with crack cocaine distribution. This superseding indictment, which was returned on April 17, 2013, expanded the time period of the drug trafficking activities, included heroin and cocaine, as well as charging seven other co-conspirators.
Prosecution is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Michael A. Consiglio and Special Assistant United States Attorney David Sunday from the York County District Attorney’s Office.
Indictments and criminal informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilty is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
In these particular cases, the maximum penalty under the federal statute is life imprisonment for the defendants and a term of supervised release following imprisonment and a fine. Each defendant also faces a mandatory minimum period of incarceration of 10 years. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances, and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public, and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational, and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.