York Man Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For His Role In Smuggling Kilos Of Cocaine From Puerto Rico

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Kevin Marrero-Morales, from York, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on August 20, 2024, to 10 years in prison by United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner for trafficking cocaine.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, a grand jury indicted Marrero-Morales and others for their role in conspiracy to smuggle kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico into York. Marrero-Morales pled guilty and admitted to his participation in the conspiracy, which included smuggling 30 kilograms of cocaine in one shipment. Marrero-Morales was sentenced to the mandatory minimum sentence of 10-years in prison.

Also charged in the case are Juan Escalera-Carrasquillo, age 25, Daniel Velez-Olivero, age 37, Gerald J. Calcano, age 31, Takquasha C. Beatty, age 29, Reynaldo Vargas Seda, age 23, Kevin Marrero-Morales, age 29, and Jorge Angel Rivera-Ortiz, age 24. The indictment alleged as part of the conspiracy, drugs and weapons were stored at various locations in York. It was also alleged that Escalera-Carrasquillo, Beatty, and Seda possessed a Glock 9mm pistol, a Smith and Wesson 380 pistol, and Del-Ton AR15 rifle during and in relation to their drug trafficking activities.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, the Pennsylvania State Police, the York County Drug Task Force, and the York City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Consiglio is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.

All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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