By Marquise Washington –
At the United States District Court in Hartford, Connecticut on Wednesday Rigoberto Mateo-Silva, 30, of New Britain, Connecticut was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant to 70 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release.
On July 20, 2022, Mateo-Silva pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
A DEA investigation revealed that Mateo-Silva and his associate, Shabazz Valentine, were obtaining kilogram quantities of narcotics from suppliers in California and delivering large amounts of cash to their suppliers in return.
In July 2020, investigators searched Valentine’s Rocky Hill residence, his car, two locations in East Hartford used to store and process narcotics, and a Hartford apartment, and seized substantial quantities of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine; items used to process and package narcotics; firearms and ammunition; and approximately $700,000 in cash.
Mateo-Silva was present at one of the East Hartford locations where approximately 75 grams of cocaine and more than $100,000 in cash was found. The search of Valentine’s car also revealed tracking receipts for two parcels that had been recently shipped via FedEx to a location in California. Investigators located and seized the parcels, which contained a total of approximately $160,000 in cash.
As the investigation continued, in the spring of 2021, Mateo-Silva obtained four kilograms of cocaine from his California supplier.
NewsTalk New England 