Two individuals were sentenced in federal court for their roles in a cocaine trafficking enterprise that transported drugs from Puerto Rico to Western Pennsylvania, according to Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti.
Senior US District Judge Arthur J. Schwab sentenced Jean Sanchez Tulla, 38, of Puerto Rico, to nine years in prison and five years of supervised release. Glenn Samuels, 33, of New Castle, was sentenced to 37 months in prison and four years of supervised release. Both individuals were found guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute.
Tulla, according to court records, played a crucial role in a narcotics trafficking network that moved kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Pennsylvania and Ohio. Prosecutors said he used the US Postal Service to deliver narcotics parcels to co-conspirators, who subsequently disseminated the cocaine in New Castle, Ellwood City, and Youngstown, Ohio. During the conspiracy, Tulla was found to have handled between five and fifteen kilograms of cocaine.
According to authorities, Tulla made at least 15 visits from Puerto Rico to Pittsburgh between 2023 and 2024 to arrange drug transactions and collect money. When the supplies came, the operation’s executives in Western Pennsylvania dispersed lesser amounts to people like Samuels, who subsequently redistributed the cocaine. Prosecutors ascribed at least 100 grams of cocaine to Samuels, claiming that he was seen routinely visiting the home of a local drug trafficker in New Castle for small periods of time, often many times each day.
Carl J. Spindler, Assistant US Attorney, prosecuted the case.
Acting US Attorney Rivetti thanked several law enforcement agencies for their contributions to the investigation, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lawrence County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Drug Task Force, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Local authorities that were involved included the New Castle Police Department, Ellwood City Police Department, and Pennsylvania State Police, among others.
Lawrence County has been designated as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area since July 2022, providing for increased federal resources to combat drug trafficking. The case was prosecuted as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) effort, which focuses on significant drug traffickers and criminal groups in the US.
