New York Couple Sentenced In Pennsylvania Drug Sting
Thursday, November 20, 2025, 6:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
PHILADELPHIA, PA.- On Tuesday, a New York City couple learned they will be spending the next few years in federal prison after being sentenced for their roles in an interstate conspiracy to distribute large quantities of cocaine after the two were taken into custody in October 2024, in an undercover narcotics sting.
According to U.S. Attorney David Metcalf, on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, Vanessa Velez, 51, and Felix Mendez, 44, both of New York, New York, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and were sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Savage for conspiring to possess and distribute bulk amounts of a controlled substance, cocaine.
Judge Savage sentenced Velez to 48 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, and forfeiture of $325,000. Additionally, Judge Savage Mendez to 18 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and forfeiture of $325,000.
Both Velez and Mendez were charged by federal indictment in January 2025, and in August 2025, each pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 40 Kilograms of Cocaine; and one count of Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute 40 Kilograms of Cocaine.
According to the charging information filed in the indictment, Velez and Mendez traveled together from New York City to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with a duffel bag containing around $325,000 in U.S. currency. On October 29, 2024, the couple arrived at a South Philadelphia parking lot, where they exchanged the cash-filled duffel bag for two duffel bags, which they believed contained cocaine. Velez and Mendez then exited the parking lot and drove away.
A short time later, members of the Philadelphia Police Department conducted a traffic stop on the defendants’ Range Rover in the area of 59 E. Oregon Avenue in the City of Philadelphia. Both Velez and Mendez were detained, and investigators recovered the two duffel bags containing a sham cocaine, and the two were taken into custody and charged.
U.S. Attorney Mercalf commended the investigative work of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Philadelphia Police Department, which led to the successful prosecution of both Velez and Mendez.
