The wheels of justice turned steadily last week, as Juan Correa Sr., a 49-year-old Lady Lake, Florida, man, received a lengthy jail sentence for his role in a cocaine distribution network that stretched from Puerto Rico to upstate New York. Correa Sr. was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York for his role in a conspiracy including money laundering and the distribution of more than five kilograms of cocaine.
Correa Sr. directed his accomplices to send and receive drug-laden packages between Puerto Rico and Syracuse while orchestrating this drug trafficking operation from July 2021 to July 2024. He admitted his guilt in his plea, and authorities pieced together a conspiracy that relied on mail and mules to keep the illegal trade afloat. According to the same source, co-conspirators such as Alex Calcano-Carrasquillo, who was sentenced to ten years in prison, and Correa’s own kin, Juan Correa, Jr. and Ashley Correa, both of whom received prison sentences, were cogs in this criminal machine, moving drugs and money across state lines.
“Bringing the head of this dangerous organization to justice is a testament to the close collaboration of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies up and down the East Coast,” Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III emphasized the severity of Correa Sr.’s criminal record, which includes five prior state felony drug convictions, highlighting the defiance of a man unconcerned about previous punishments, while DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III emphasized the relentless effort to target those who traffic narcotics through the northeast corridor, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Furthermore, Syracuse Police Department Chief Joseph L. Cecile praised the law enforcement’s collaborative effort, saying, “Law Enforcement is never stronger than when we partner together; together, we represent an omnipresent threat to criminal enterprises such as this one,” demonstrating a united front in the fight against criminal enterprises like Correa’s. This sentiment was shared by other agencies involved in the case’s investigation and prosecution, including the IRS-Criminal Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service, which played critical roles in preventing these drugs from reaching the streets and holding these criminals accountable, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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