PHILADELPHIA, PA — Two New York residents were sentenced Tuesday after federal prosecutors said they traveled to Philadelphia with hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash to purchase what they believed were bulk quantities of cocaine shipped from Texas — only to be caught in a sting operation that ended minutes after the deal.
U.S. Attorney David Metcalf announced that Vanessa Velez, 51, was sentenced to 48 months in prison, five years of supervised release, and forfeiture of $325,000. Her co-defendant, Felix Mendez, 44, received an 18-month prison term, three years of supervised release, and the same forfeiture amount.
A federal indictment filed in January charged both defendants with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute roughly 40 kilograms of cocaine, and with attempting to possess that same amount. They pleaded guilty in August.
According to court filings, Velez and Mendez drove from New York to Philadelphia carrying a duffel bag packed with about $325,000 in U.S. currency. On October 29, 2024, they met in a South Philadelphia parking lot to exchange the cash for two duffel bags they believed contained cocaine shipped from El Paso, Texas.
After making the swap, the pair drove off in their Range Rover. Minutes later, Philadelphia police stopped the vehicle near 59 E. Oregon Avenue, detained both defendants, and recovered the two bags — which contained sham kilograms of cocaine used as part of the operation.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Philadelphia Police Department under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force program. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Diviny prosecuted the case.
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