Large-scale Cocaine Importers Sentenced to Federal Prison
Lead defendant awaits sentencing in Operation Carpet Ride
STATESBORO, GA: Two men who supplied kilograms of cocaine for a major drug trafficking conspiracy have been sentenced to federal prison.
Pedro Castro-Vasquez, a/k/a “Chipo,” 53, of Puerto Rico, and Sonic Torres-Garcia, 27, of Kissimmee, Florida, were each sentenced after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Cocaine, said Tara M. Lyons, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall sentenced Castro-Vasquez to 180 months in prison and a fine of $1,500, followed by three years of supervised release, and sentenced Torres-Garcia to 180 months in prison, consecutive to other pending state and federal cases, and a fine of $2,500, followed by three years of supervised release.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“This case represents the continued commitment of the Drug Enforcement Administration to identify and hold accountable those who engage in the distribution of dangerous drugs,” said Jae W. Chung, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division.
“The conspiracy identified in this multi-year investigation was responsible for importing and distributing large quantities of drugs in the Southern District,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lyons. “Multiple law enforcement agencies persisted through this lengthy investigation in identifying the key players in this drug trafficking operation, holding them accountable for spreading misery in the Southern District.”
As described in the 49-count indictment unsealed in November 2022, Operation Carpet Ride identified a drug trafficking conspiracy operating in Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Effingham, Evans, Liberty, Richmond, and Tattnall counties, and elsewhere, from as early as January 2016. Led by Daniel Morales-Jimenez, a/k/a “Danny Hill,” 48, of Puerto Rico, the conspiracy imported large quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine and other drugs from and through Puerto Rico, into Florida and the Southern District. Morales-Jimenez pled guilty to federal conspiracy charges in both the Southern District and in Puerto Rico and awaits sentencing.
Castro-Vasquez was identified as a kilo-quantity distributor who obtained cocaine from Morales-Jimenez, arranging importation into the continental United States for distribution in the Southern District. Torres-Garcia supplied kilos of cocaine to Demarr Clayton Lee, 55, of Miami, Florida, while also arranging to deliver cocaine to the Southern District using members of his family. Lee, who pled guilty in the conspiracy, is serving a sentence of 98 months in federal prison, while 26 other defendants in Operation Carpet Ride are serving sentences of up to 240 months in prison after pleading guilty.
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service employs a whole-of-government approach to combatting illicit drugs in the mail,” said Steven Hodges, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Miami Division. “This case, and our partnerships, illustrate our strategy in action. Protecting the American public through criminal investigations like this is a top priority of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.”
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Homeland Security Investigations; the Georgia Bureau of Investigation; the Puerto Rico State Police; the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles; the Georgia Department of Community Supervision; the Tattnall County Sheriff’s Office; the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office; the Evans County Sheriff’s Office; the Barceloneta Police Department; the Claxton Police Department; and the Glennville Police Department; and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank M. Pennington II and OCDETF Coordinator Marcela C. Mateo.
The DEA encourages parents, along with their children, to educate themselves about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.JustThinkTwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com, www.CampusDrugPrevention.gov, and www.dea.gov . Also follow DEA Atlanta via Twitter at @DEAATLANTADiv.
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