A resident of New Castle, Pennsylvania, and another from Florida, Puerto Rico, have been sentenced in federal court for their involvement in a cocaine trafficking operation. Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced that these defendants were part of a group of 17 individuals indicted in March 2024 for conspiracy to distribute cocaine throughout Western Pennsylvania and Youngstown.
Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab sentenced Jean Sanchez Tulla, 38, to nine years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Tulla was convicted for conspiring to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine and interstate travel in aid of racketeering. Glenn Samuels, 33, received a sentence of 37 months imprisonment followed by four years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
Court information revealed that Tulla played a leading role in the drug trafficking group that shipped large quantities of cocaine from Puerto Rico to co-conspirators in Western Pennsylvania and Youngstown. Tulla's responsibilities included distributing between five and fifteen kilograms of cocaine during the conspiracy period and traveling from Puerto Rico to Pennsylvania multiple times to facilitate the operation.
The organization distributed smaller quantities of drugs through leaders based in Western Pennsylvania. Samuels was one such co-conspirator who distributed at least 100 grams of cocaine within Lawrence County.
Assistant United States Attorney Carl J. Spindler prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The investigation involved several agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Lawrence County HIDTA Drug Task Force, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, New Castle Police Department, Ellwood City Police Department, FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigation division, among others.
Lawrence County is recognized as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), receiving federal resources since July 2022 to combat drug trafficking effectively.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States using a multi-agency approach.
