United States Drug Enforcement Administration

NEWARK, N.J. - - Carl J. Kotowski, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division and Paul J. Fishman, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey announced a Bergenfield, New Jersey, woman was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for her role in a conspiracy to traffic approximately two kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico to New Jersey.

Sasha Melendez, 38, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to an information charging her with one count of conspiring to distribute cocaine. Judge Cecchi imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

Melendez was the subject of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration of an ongoing conspiracy to import cocaine from Puerto Rico. She was arrested on March 24, 2015 in Bergen County after she accepted delivery of a mail parcel from Puerto Rico containing approximately two kilograms of cocaine. Melendez admitted at her plea hearing that she conspired with co-defendant Ramis Esteves, 33, of New York, to distribute the cocaine.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Cecchi sentenced Melendez to three years of supervised release.
Estevez previously pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and awaits sentencing.