SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Kelvin Vazquez-Pagan, age 24, of Passaic, New Jersey, and Carlos Perez-Rivera, age 37, of West New York, New Jersey, were indicted on April 26, 2022, by a federal grand jury for cocaine trafficking.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment charges Vazquez-Pagan and Perez-Rivera with possession with intent to distribute in excess of 500 grams of cocaine on March 23, 2022, in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
The investigation was conducted by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara and Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian J. Gallagher are prosecuting the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum penalty under federal law is up to 40 years in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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