News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 26, 2009

International Drug Smuggler Sentenced To 23 Years In Prison

May 26 -- (Philadelphia, PA) - Peter Nguyen, 47, formerly of Philadelphia, was sentenced today to 276 months in federal prison for his conviction, in August 2008, on numerous drug charges, announced Acting United States Attorney Laurie Magid. Nguyen’s conviction includes conspiracy to import and distribute large amounts of ecstasy pills and marijuana from his suppliers in Canada.

From 2004 to 2006, Peter Nguyen was one of the largest Asian drug dealers in Philadelphia. Nguyen obtained large amounts of ecstasy pills and marijuana from his suppliers in Canada and elsewhere which he then distributed across the eastern seaboard. Nguyen met many of these drug dealers at the casinos in Atlantic City which he frequented. In early 2006, Peter Nguyen had an argument over money with a fellow drug dealer and was forced to move his operations elsewhere. Nonetheless, Peter Nguyen was able to continue his drug dealing operation. For example, in August 2006, Nguyen arranged for his Canadian supplier to smuggle a shipment of 60,000 ecstasy pills into the United States which was destined for New Orleans. These drugs had a street value of a $1 million on the street. Unbeknownst to Nguyen, the DEA had wiretapped the cell phones of one of his associates which led to Nguyen’s ultimate arrest. Nguyen was subsequently indicted and convicted at trial in August 2008. In addition to the 23 year prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Stewart Dalzell ordered Nguyen to complete five years of supervised release at the end of his prison term, and pay a $5,000 fine.

For the past several years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Department of Justice Organized Crime & Racketeering Section, have been working closely with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and various Canadian law enforcement agencies, to crack down on Asian organized crime groups who control manufacture large amounts of drugs in Canada, smuggle them into the United States, and sell them to drug dealers such as Peter Nguyen.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. Livermore of the United States Department of Justice Organized Crime and Racketeering Section. The case was investigated by special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration.