Dung Ngoc Nguyen, 53, of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, pleaded guilty today to drug trafficking and money laundering charges before the Honorable Lawrence F. Stengel. Sentencing is scheduled for May 8, 2013.
During the summer of 2006, special agents with the Department of Homeland Security were investigating two Philadelphia-based drug traffickers, John Q. Le and his then-girlfriend, Hanh Duong. Le was one of the largest drug dealers on the east coast with a network of customers stretching from New Jersey to Florida. Le imported large quantities of marijuana from various drug trafficking organizations in Canada. Nguyen worked for one of these Canadian organizations as a broker. Nguyen took drug purchase orders from Le and Duong, made arrangements for the marijuana to be smuggled into the United States, and made arrangements for the drug proceeds to be smuggled back to Canada. During the duration of the conspiracy, Nguyen admitted that she arranged to smuggle between 700 and 1,000 kilograms of marijuana into the United States. The drugs were usually delivered, via courier, directly to Le's house in West Chester, PA.
The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David E. Fritchey and Robert J. Livermore.
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, EASTERN DISTRICTof PENNSYLVANIA
Suite 1250, 615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
PATTY HARTMAN, Media Contact, 215-861-8525
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
