Bronx Man Indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute 30 Kilograms of Cocaine

 NEWARK, N.J. – A grand jury indicted a Bronx, New York, man today for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Raul A. Figueroa Santana, 48, was indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and one count of possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. He and two co-defendants, Yohan E. De Jesus Osornio, 30, of Phelan, California, and Ronal Luiyi Hernandez Sepulveda, 30, of the Bronx, were charged by complaint on Nov. 16, 2019.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Figueroa Santana was arrested on Nov. 15, 2019, in Newark after conducting a transaction involving 10 kilograms of cocaine. Law enforcement officers observed De Jesus Osornio, who had parked his tractor trailer on Passaic Street in Newark, enter a white Mazda before returning to the tractor trailer with a weighted-down bag. Law enforcement officers observed Hernandez Sepulveda and Figueroa Santana arrive in a black Mitsubishi. Law enforcement officers observed Hernandez Sepulveda approach the tractor trailer and walk back to the Mitsubishi with a bag, which Hernandez Sepulveda placed in the back of the Mitsubishi, where Figueroa Santana was waiting. After approaching and apprehending the defendants, law enforcement officers searched the bag and found 10 kilograms of cocaine, and found an additional 20 kilograms of cocaine and a large sum of cash in the tractor trailer.

De Jesus Osornio and Hernandez Sepulveda previously pleaded guilty. De Jesus Osornio was sentenced Sept. 30, 2020, to three years in prison. Hernandez Sepulveda pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 2, 2020.

Both counts of the indictment carry maximum penalties of life imprisonment and a $10 million fine.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson, with investigation leading to today’s indictment.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren E. Repole of the U.S. Attorney’s Office OCDETF/Narcotics Unit.

The charge and allegations in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.