Christopher Andrew Salgado, 24, formerly of Oxnard, California, was sentenced to five years in federal prison on August 14, 2024, for his role in a cocaine distribution conspiracy.
United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy handed down the sentence.
An investigation by an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) revealed that Salgado played a key role in transporting cocaine from California to Pennsylvania between March and September 2022.
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He would receive kilogram quantities of cocaine mailed from California to his West Virginia residence, then drive the drugs to the Pittsburgh International Airport. There, he would pick up a co-defendant arriving from California and deliver both the drugs and the individual to another co-defendant in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania.
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Law enforcement intercepted multiple cocaine shipments and observed Salgado disposing of drug-related evidence. In August 2022, a search warrant executed at Salgado’s residence led to the seizure of approximately two kilograms of cocaine, a loaded firearm, and other drug paraphernalia.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna prosecuted the case.
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