Juan Correa, Jr., a 31-year-old resident of Syracuse, has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for his involvement in money laundering and a drug conspiracy. The sentencing was announced by United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division.
Correa admitted to conspiring with others to distribute cocaine in Onondaga County from May 2024 through July 2024. He also acknowledged collecting proceeds from cocaine sales and sending them to Puerto Rico to purchase more drugs.
Senior United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby ordered Correa to serve an additional five-year term of supervised release after his prison sentence. Co-defendants Juan Correa, Sr., Ashley Correa, and Alex Calcano-Carrasquillo have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
United States Attorney Sarcone highlighted the collaborative efforts that led to this prosecution: “This prosecution of a cocaine trafficking and money laundering organization was made possible by the close collaboration of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies up and down the East Coast."
DEA New York Special Agent in Charge Tarentino commented on the impact of removing narcotics from communities: “Anytime illicit narcotics are removed from our streets, lives are saved.”
Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation New York, emphasized their commitment: “IRS-CI New York remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners in taking down any criminal seeking to poison the communities in which we live.”
Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the United States Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division stated: “The successful prosecution of this case should serve as a deterrent to anyone seeking to exploit the mail.”
Joseph L. Cecile, Chief of the Syracuse Police Department (SPD), praised the collaboration between various law enforcement agencies: “We couldn't be prouder of the difficult and uncompromising work our narcotics detectives and law enforcement partners put in every day.”
The investigation involved multiple agencies including DEA, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), United States Postal Inspection Service, and Syracuse Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Brown prosecuted the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level drug traffickers using a multi-agency approach.
