VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Juan Rivera-Gutierrez and Pedro Pabon Jr. of Virginia Beach were sentenced Thursday for their roles in a three-and-a-half year cocaine conspiracy.
Rivera-Gutierrez was sentenced to 10 years in jail. Pabon was sentenced to 30 months.
According to court documents, Rivera-Gutierrez and Pabon conspired to sell large quantities of cocaine from September 2013 to April 2017.
Special agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted nine undercover controlled purchases and recovered over 500 grams of cocaine.
During one purchase, Pabon suggested that a confidential informant added a cutting agent to cocaine known as “aroma,” a product commonly used as a carpet cleaner, to increase profits.
On another purchase, Rivera-Gutierrez sold cocaine and five firearms with multiple 100-round clips and a silencer.
The silencer was a Department of Defense asset and the firearms included a Russian Izhmash Saiga 12 caliber shotgun, an Israeli Tavor Sar 556 caliber rifle, a DMPS Panther 223 caliber rifle, a stolen Olympic MRF AR-15 multi-caliber rifle and a Colt M4LE 556 caliber rifle.
