New London cocaine dealer sentenced to 36 months in federal prison

HARTFORD, Conn. — A New London man was sentenced Tuesday to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing cocaine following a large-scale investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Secret Service and the New London Police Department.

Frank Rivera, 32, of New London, is one of more than 100 individuals who have been charged with federal and state offenses as a result of this investigation.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in early 2012, the three law enforcement agencies initiated an investigation to combat large-scale heroin and cocaine trafficking from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico into and around southeastern Connecticut. The investigation revealed that certain members of the conspiracy had obtained kilogram-quantities of cocaine in Puerto Rico and mailed the drug to locations in and around New London where it was sold to distributors and customers. Rivera used his business "PR Speed Shop," an auto-repair service on Westwood Avenue in New London, to sell cocaine to customers.

Rivera has been detained since his arrest in April 2013. On Nov. 15, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.