New Britain Man Sentenced to 70 Months in Federal Prison for Trafficking Cocaine
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. - Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that RIGOBERTO MATEO-SILVA, also known as “Bori,” 30, of New Britain, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 70 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking cocaine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, a DEA investigation revealed that Mateo-Silva and his associate, Shabazz Valentine, were obtaining kilogram quantities of narcotics from suppliers in California and delivering large amounts of cash to their suppliers in return.
On July 6, 2020, investigators searched Valentine’s Rocky Hill residence, his car, two locations in East Hartford used to store and process narcotics, and a Hartford apartment, and seized substantial quantities of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine; items used to process and package narcotics; firearms and ammunition; and approximately $700,000 in cash. Mateo-Silva was present at one of the East Hartford locations where approximately 75 grams of cocaine and more than $100,000 in cash was found. The search of Valentine’s car also revealed tracking receipts for two parcels that had been recently shipped via FedEx to a location in California. Investigators located and seized the parcels, which contained a total of approximately $160,000 in cash.
As the investigation continued, in the spring of 2021, Mateo-Silva obtained four kilograms of cocaine from his California supplier.
Mateo-Silva has been detained since his arrest on June 25, 2021. On July 20, 2022, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
Valentine pleaded guilty to related charges and awaits sentencing.
This investigation has been conducted by the DEA’s Hartford Task Force in coordination with the DEA’s Los Angeles Division. The Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Windsor Locks and Willimantic Police Departments.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
