FLORIDA – A Bradenton man has been sentenced in connection with an alleged scheme to distribute cocaine obtained through the mail by a postal carrier.
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Angel Hernandez Coss, 38, of Bradenton, has been sentenced to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute over five kilograms of cocaine. Hernandez Coss pleaded guilty on January 17, 2023.
According to court documents, Hernandez Coss and his codefendant, Nathasha Prieto, a former United States Postal Carrier, orchestrated a scheme by which Prieto provided addresses on her delivery route to Hernandez Coss, who used those addresses to secure shipments of cocaine from Puerto Rico.
As a result, kilogram quantities of cocaine were reportedly shipped in packages to these addresses. Prieto allegedly removed the packages from the mail stream and provided them to Coss, who reportedly distributed the cocaine.
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Prieto pleaded guilty to conspiracy. She is scheduled to be sentenced on May 23, 2023.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Manatee County Sherriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jim Preston is prosecuting it.
