Two New Castle Men Sentenced For Their Roles In Drug Trafficking Network
Friday, December 27, 2024, 7:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
PITTSBURGH, PA.- On Wednesday, December 18, 2024, two New Castle, Pennsylvania, men appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and were sentenced for their roles in a large-scale drug trafficking operation that distributed large quantities of cocaine throughout Western Pennsylvania and Youngstown, Ohio.
On Wednesday, Senior U.S. District Court Judge Arthur J. Schwab sentenced Luciano Bratini Rivera, 37, to 97 months in federal prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release for his conviction of Conspiring to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Cocaine; and two counts of Possession with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Cocaine.
Additionally, on Wednesday, Judge Schwab sentenced Marcus Hobel, 35, to 72 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release on his conviction for Conspiring to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Cocaine; and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.
According to U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan, Rivera and Hobel were among 17 individuals from Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and Youngstown, Ohio, indicted by a Federal Grand Jury in March 2024 for violating federal narcotics, firearms, and racketeering laws for taking part in a drug trafficking operation.
According To Charging Documents Filed With The Court
According to charging documents filed and presented to the court, Rivera knowingly conspired with the leader of a drug trafficking organization, Daniel Feliciano, to receive kilogram quantities of cocaine from a supplier in Puerto Rico. Rivera would then repackage and redistribute into smaller amounts to multiple co-conspirators to increase profits.
Those co-conspirators, who include Hobel, then would distribute the cocaine in New Castle, Ellwood City, and elsewhere in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. Rivera was responsible for the distribution of at least five kilograms of cocaine. He also stored the proceeds from cocaine sales on Feliciano’s behalf. This included more than $11,000 seized during Rivera’s arrest in March 2024.
During the investigation, Rivera was known to drive to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with cash proceeds to exchange the money for additional kilograms of cocaine on multiple occasions in late 2023 and early 2024, during which Rivera retrieved a total of at least six kilograms of cocaine.
At least 100 grams of cocaine was attributed to Hobel, whom Feliciano also described and utilized as his bodyguard to protect his drugs, profits, and person. This included Hobel’s knowing and unlawfully carrying a handgun and rifle during the commission of a drug trafficking conspiracy, such as patrolling the premises and standing guard with one or more firearms at Feliciano’s residence.
