After managing drug ring that trafficked a kilo of heroin every two weeks, she’s going to prison for 20 years

The manager on an Orlando-based drug ring that was trafficking about one kilogram of heroin every two weeks was sentenced to 20 years prison Thursday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Zuleyka Jeanette Colon-Rivera, 25, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza for her role in a conspiracy during which she distributed at least 10 kilograms of heroin, according to a news release. A jury had found her guilty on Oct. 26 of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute heroin, and distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute heroin.

Colon-Rivera was part of a drug trafficking organization called “La Compania,” which means ‘The Company’ in Spanish, that operated out of Orlando’s tourist district, near International Drive, witnesses testified during the trial. Her responsibilities included controlling the phone used to communicate with customers, supplying heroin to the ring’s street-level dealers and then collecting money from those dealers at the end of their shifts.

Colon-Rivera sold large quantities of heroin to undercover agents twice during the investigation. Law enforcement agents also seized 200 bags of heroin, two firearms, ammunition and more than $10,000 in cash from Colon-Rivera’s residence, according to the release.

The case against Colon-Rivera was the result of an investigation called “La Compania” by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, whose mission is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.

The case was a joint effort by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Orlando and Kissimmee police departments, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Osceola County Investigative Bureau and Virginia State Police.

Colon-Rivera was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew C. Searle.

This story was originally published February 9, 2017 at 6:14 PM with the headline "After managing drug ring that trafficked a kilo of heroin every two weeks, she’s going to prison for 20 years."