Bradenton couple sentenced for mailing cocaine from Puerto Rico to Lakewood Ranch
A Bradenton man and his girlfriend, a former U.S. postal employee, have both been sentenced to federal prison after conspiring to distribute cocaine shipped from Puerto Rico through the mail, the prosecutors said in a press release Wednesday.
Angel Hernandez Coss, 38, of Bradenton, was sentenced to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute over 5 kilograms of cocaine.
Nathasha Prieto, 34, a former U.S. postal carrier, would give addresses from her delivery route to Hernandez Coss, who would use them to mail shipments of cocaine from Puerto Rico, the press release said.
On Wednesday, Prieto, who was also charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, was sentenced to 6 years and 6 months in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The Bradenton Herald previously reported that the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General worked with the Drug Enforcement Administration Tampa office and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office was working to track down a drug trafficking ring.
Through this investigation, agents identified some suspicious packages sent from Puerto Rico to Lakewood Ranch believed to be narcotics on Prieto’s mail route, as the Herald previously reported.
Package not delivered
Agents and investigators followed Prieto as she delivered four packages. The packages were not found where they were intended to be delivered, although Prieto marked them as delivered in the USPS system.
Instead, Prieto took the packages back to the Lakewood Ranch post office at 5910 Post Blvd., Lakewood Ranch, and put them inside her Honda Acura and took them home, the Herald previously reported.
Investigators also watched as Hernandez Coss left home to take some trash to a dumpster inside their community, where they later found the packaging for some of the packages in question. After that, he was seen leaving the house with a heavy duffle bag and backpack, according to the previous report.
Hernandez Coss and Prieto pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge.
This story was originally published May 19, 2023 at 3:01 PM.
