A Los Angeles man has admitted to federal charges for trafficking large amounts of cocaine from California to Pennsylvania, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.
Jose Angel Sanchez, 33, pleaded guilty in a Pennsylvania federal court to conspiring to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine. His plea follows a months-long investigation into a multistate drug trafficking operation.
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Between March and September 2022, investigators with the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force tracked cocaine shipments that Sanchez sent from California to various addresses in Pennsylvania and later to a co-defendant in West Virginia.
After authorities intercepted a package containing 2 kilograms of cocaine headed to Pennsylvania, Sanchez began sending shipments to the West Virginia home of his co-defendant, Christopher Salgado.
Surveillance footage showed Salgado picking up Sanchez from Pittsburgh International Airport and driving him—along with the drug shipments—to another co-defendant, Romaro Foster Sr., in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania.
During one return trip to the airport, officers stopped both men. After their release, Salgado was seen throwing away a box in a fast food trash can. The discarded box, which had Salgado’s address on it, later tested positive for cocaine residue, according to the DOJ.
In total, law enforcement recovered parcels containing approximately 6 kilograms of cocaine between the two men. A search of Salgado’s residence in August 2022 uncovered another package from Sanchez with 2 additional kilograms.
Sanchez faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and could receive up to life in prison, plus a fine of up to $10 million. His sentencing is set for October 2.
Salgado has already been sentenced to five years in prison for his involvement in the scheme.
