Nokesville Man Indicted as Part of Cocaine Trafficking Ring in Virginia, Maryland

ALEXANDRIA, VA— Luis Soto Quintero, aka Siete, 37, of Nokesville, Va., was indicted by a federal grand jury yesterday on charges of conspiring to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine as part of a cocaine trafficking ring that operated in Virginia and Maryland.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; John Perren, Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office; and Colonel David Rohrer, Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement.

On Oct. 22, 2009, Quintero and 13 other defendants were charged in a criminal complaint on cocaine trafficking charges as part of an ongoing criminal investigation that originated in the Springfield, Va., region. To date, three individuals have pled guilty to conspiring to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, and eight have pled guilty to conspiring to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine. If convicted, Quintero faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison.

According to court documents, an undercover detective with the Fairfax County Police Department began purchasing cocaine in the summer of 2008 from individuals in the Springfield, Va., area. The conspirators allegedly met on numerous occasions with the undercover officer and with each other at various locations, including area restaurants, businesses, and convenience stores.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Fairfax County Police Department. The Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice provided valuable assistance in the investigation. Special Assistant United States Attorney Scott Nussbum is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

The public is reminded that an indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov.

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