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During the course of "Operation Special Delivery," a task force of Berks detectives and federal agents seized roughly $4 million worth of cocaine from 19 packages sent through the US Postal Service, said county authorities in a release.
Eleven of the 12 suspects are currently in police custody, detectives said.
The investigation began last August when the Postal Inspector's Office found "kilogram quantities" of cocaine being regularly shipped to Pennsylvania from Puerto Rico, authorities said.
Postal Inspectors worked with Homeland Security, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Berks County investigators and identified "a conspiracy to obtain, smuggle, transport, and distribute," according to the release.
Detectives say that suspect Jeffrey Ramos-Perez, 22, and his girlfriend Jennifer Zerolo-Feliciano, 30, "ran the organization from Puerto Rico" and were responsible for mailing the contraband.
From there, the 10 other suspects received the drugs and distributed them locally, authorities claim.
Those charged, in addition to Ramos-Perex and Zerolo-Feliciano, include:
- Cruz Lebron-DeJesus, 42, of Philadelphia
- Jeffrey Cedeno-Ramirez, 41, of Reading
- Raquel Rivera- Maldonado, 45, of Reading
- Jose Escobar-Camacho, 39, of Reading
- Hector Luis Rosado-Ortiz, 39, of Hamburg
- Javier Rosario-Bones, 51, of Hummelstown
- Rodrigo Fontanez-Cortez, 43, of Wyomissing
- David Arocho-Cortes, 34, of Reading
- Grace Diaz-Rodriguez, 29, of Reading
- Michel Diaz-Ramos, 33, of Reading
Cruz Lebron-DeJesus remains at large, authorities say. Anyone with information is asked to call Berks County Detectives at 610-478-7171. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 877-373-9913.
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