HARRISBURG — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle), published as received.

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Luis D. Baez-Sierra, age 38, of York, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on March 2, 2022, to 121 months’ imprisonment to be followed by five years of supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Sylvia H. Rambo for drug trafficking.

According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Baez-Sierra previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine between May 2015 and May 2017. Baez-Sierra was the leader of a drug trafficking organization operating in York County, Pennsylvania. Baez-Sierra was receiving narcotics through the United States mail sent from Puerto Rico.

Baez-Sierra was originally charged in May 2017, with seven codefendants:

  • Ramon Puig Rodriguez – pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine hydrochloride and is awaiting sentencing;
  • Chayann Torres-Santiago – pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride and was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment;  
  • Juan Rivera Marrero – pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams and more of cocaine hydrochloride, money laundering and was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment;
  • Jean Carlos Torres-Santiago – pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams and more of cocaine hydrochloride and 100 grams and more of heroin, and was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment;
  • Charlie Abdiel Cruz Velez – pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms and more of cocaine hydrochloride, and was sentenced to 57 months’ imprisonment;
  • Henry Delgado – pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms and more of cocaine hydrochloride, and was sentenced to 84 months’ imprisonment; and
  • Angel Santiago-Torres – pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride and was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service and the York City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daryl F. Bloom prosecuted the case.

This case was 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.

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