A Syracuse man has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for his role in a cocaine distribution and money laundering conspiracy that stretched from New York to Puerto Rico.
Juan Correa, Jr., 31, admitted to conspiring with others to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine in Onondaga County between May and July of last year. As part of the scheme, he collected drug proceeds and mailed them to a supplier in Puerto Rico to fund additional shipments.
Correa, Jr. was sentenced Wednesday by Senior U.S. District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby, who also imposed a five-year term of supervised release after his prison sentence. His co-defendants—Juan Correa, Sr., Ashley Correa, and Alex Calcano-Carrasquillo—have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III credited the success of the case to cooperation across agencies. “This prosecution of a cocaine trafficking and money laundering organization was made possible by the close collaboration of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies up and down the East Coast.”
DEA New York Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III added, “The sentencing of Juan Correa Jr., who knowingly distributed cocaine throughout Onondaga County and funneled the proceeds in an effort to flood our streets with even more poison, is a result of the collaborative efforts DEA New York and our law enforcement partners have when targeting those individuals pushing this poison into our communities.”
Officials from the IRS, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Syracuse Police also praised the joint investigation and its role in protecting communities.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Brown and investigated under the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program.
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