An MS-13 gangbanger will spend the next 17 years behind bars for orchestrating a transnational fentanyl trafficking ring while incarcerated at a Florida prison, according to federal prosecutors.
Rivera’s legal status was not immediately clear.“Rivera’s 17-year federal prison sentence should serve as a warning to MS-13 and other terrorist gangs who seek to flood our communities with deadly poisons like fentanyl,” US Attorney Hayden O’Byrne said in a statement.“Whether you operate on the streets or behind prison walls, we will identify your leaders and members, dismantle your networks, and hold you accountable using the full force of American law.”
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The gang member continued running his drug ring from behind bars, using contraband cell phones to direct his dealers on how to sell fentanyl and what prices to charge — all while ensuring he received his share of the profits, prosecutors said.
He also instructed his crew to sell the drug for about $1,500 per ounce, court documents obtained by the Miami Herald showed.
Prosecutors said the fentanyl landed in Florida after it was trafficked across the border wall from Mexico into California, then sent to Rivera and his associates by mail for distribution.
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“The sentence handed down should serve as a reminder that we remain steadfast with our law enforcement partners to bring those who engage in drug trafficking through the mail to justice.”
Rivera pleaded guilty to drug trafficking in January.
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President Trump designated MS-13, a notorious El Salvadoran gang, as a foreign terrorist organization when he declared a national emergency at the southern border earlier this year.
* Original Article:
https://nypost.com/2025/05/03/us-news/ms-13-gangbanger-nicknamed-chuky-sentenced-to-17-years-for-running-fentanyl-drug-ring-from-florida-prison/?utm_source=smartnews&utm_campaign=nypost&utm_medium=referral