New York Man Sentenced In Conspiracy To Smuggle Cocaine From Dominican Republic TO Hazleton

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on January 8, 2019, United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani sentenced Luis Santos, age 51, of New York, to 60 months’ imprisonment and a three-year term of supervised release, for conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Santos, his co-defendant, Rafael Lora, and other individuals conspired to import nearly a kilogram of cocaine from the Dominican Republic to Hazleton, Pennsylvania.  After being charged and released on pretrial supervision, Santos was arrested attempting to enter Canada bearing false identification documents.  He was charged and convicted in the Northern District of New York for that offense.
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Santos was a citizen of the Dominican Republic and obtained permanent residency in the United States.  However, as a result of this conviction, he is subject to potential deportation.