Willie Alvarado, Jr., 34, of Utica, New York, was sentenced last week to serve eight years in federal prison for attempted possession with intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine and money laundering.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New York Division, made the announcement.
As part of his guilty plea, Alvarado admitted that, as early as October 2022, he began using the United States Postal Service to receive drug parcels from Puerto Rico.
In May of 2023, law enforcement intercepted a package shipped from Puerto Rico intended for Alvarado, which contained two kilograms of cocaine.
Alvarado admitted that he intended to distribute the cocaine in the package. Alvarado further admitted that, in September of 2023, he used another individual to launder at least $9,940 of his drug proceeds.
Senior United States District Court Judge David N. Hurd also imposed a four-year term of supervised release to begin after Alvarado is released from prison.
