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…