Philadelphia, PA, man gets 10 years for managing massive drug ring

A manager for a drug trafficking organization that purchased over 100 kilos of cocaine in Puerto Rico and shipped it to Philadelphia and South Jersey is headed to prison for a decade.

Jose Gonzalez of Philadelphia, PA, Sentenced

51-year-old Jose Gonzalez of Philadelphia previously pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiring to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

On Tuesday, he was sentenced to 10 years behind bars.

Federal authorities say from March 2019 to August 2020, Gonzalez and others traveled on commercial flights from Philadelphia International Airport to San Juan, PR, on numerous occasions and they bought large quantities of cocaine.

Gonzalez and the other conspirators then shipped the cocaine by overnight delivery from U.S. Post Offices in San Juan to addresses in Philadelphia and South Jersey.

From there, Gonzalez resold the drugs to other dealers in the area.

Gonzalez admitted that he had a management role in the conspiracy and that he and the other conspirators purchased and shipped over 100 kilos of cocaine.

When Gonzalez was arrested in August 2020, agents seized over $120,000 in cash during a search of his home in Philadelphia and they found a 9mm handgun from a garage that he operated in the city.

In addition to the prison term, Gonzalez was sentenced to five years of supervised release, he was ordered to forfeit that $120,000, the gun, and a pickup truck.

U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger thanked the numerous law enforcement agencies that worked on this case, including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, FBI offices in Atlantic City and Newark, New Jersey State Police, and the Philadelphia Police Department.