Thirteen individuals from five states have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges related to cocaine trafficking and firearms offenses, according to First Assistant United States Attorney Troy Rivetti. The indictment follows a two-year investigation into the alleged drug trafficking organization.
The defendants are Feng Ruan of Brooklyn, New York; Maoxuan Xia of Flushing, New York; Jhon Canizales-Soto of Miami, Florida; Marcos Francisco-Tomas of Riverside, California; Andres Flores-Cedeno of New Kensington, Pennsylvania; Eric Vega of Riverside, California; Manuel Rivera of Coachella, California; Fernando Gonzalez-Gonzalez and Julio Flores, both of Los Angeles, California; Michael Johnson of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Aaron Mitchell of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Raymond Simmons and Toriano Wilson, both of New Kensington, Pennsylvania.
According to the indictment, between January 2023 and April 2024 several defendants conspired to distribute and possessed with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Specific allegations include Rivera possessing five kilograms or more of cocaine on August 30, 2023. On February 17, 2024, Francisco-Tomas and Flores-Cedeno allegedly possessed a similar amount. The indictment also accuses Ruan of engaging in monetary transactions involving property derived from unlawful activity on January 17, 2023. Between January 2023 and April 2024, Xia, Canizales-Soto, Francisco-Tomas, Flores-Cedeno, Vega, Rivera, Gonzalez-Gonzalez and Flores are accused of interstate travel or transmission in aid of racketeering. Additionally, Mitchell is charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition as a previously convicted felon on October 5, 2023.
The potential penalties for those charged vary based on their alleged roles. Francisco-Tomas and nine others face sentences ranging from at least ten years up to life in prison and fines up to $10 million. Ruan and Xia could receive up to ten years in prison and fines up to $250,000 each. Canizales-Soto faces up to five years in prison with similar financial penalties. Mitchell’s firearms charge carries a maximum sentence of fifteen years imprisonment.
Assistant United States Attorney Katherine C. Jordan is prosecuting the case.
"This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion," according to the release. "The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad." The HSTF for the Western District of Pennsylvania includes agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service with prosecution led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District.
Authorities remind that an indictment is only an accusation: "A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty."
