NY Man Traveling From DR Arrested at RI International Airport With 13 Kilos of Cocaine
Monday, October 02, 2023
A New York man has been ordered detained in Rhode Island on federal drug trafficking charges after Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents at T.F. Green International Airport located more than 13 kilograms of cocaine inside a carry-on bag alleged to have been in the man’s possession when he disembarked in a wheelchair from a direct flight from the Dominican Republic on September 28, 2023, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
The U.S. Attorney’s office alleges in charging documents that Richard Pineda Novas, 46, of Bronx, N.Y., was among passengers on a flight from Santo Domingo. After initial screening upon his arrival in Rhode Island, Pineda was referred for secondary inspection based on a CBP notice that he was allegedly linked to an individual who had been arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York in 2021, while importing approximately 14.95 Kilograms of cocaine that were concealed in a wheelchair.
According to the charging documents, a carry-on bag located near Pineda after his arrival at T.F. Green International Airport was found to contain twelve rectangular brick-like packages wrapped in plastic and tape, consistent with the manner in which cocaine is packaged. One of the packages was more closely inspected by CBP agents and was alleged to have been found to contain cocaine. The total weight of the twelve packages was approximately 13.28 kilograms.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAlso located inside the bag was a bible that contained a paycheck from a New Jersey company in Pineda’s name and a voided check/direct deposit slip from a New York bank that listed Penda as the payee.
It is alleged that Pineda initially denied that the carry-on bag belonged to him; he later claimed to CBP agents that he had been given the bag by someone whose name he did not know and that he did not know who was going to pick up the package in the United States.
Pineda is charged by way of a federal criminal complaint with a charge of conspiracy to distribute and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance; as well as a charge of distribution of, and possession with intent to distribute, a controlled substance. A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection, Port of Providence.
Related Articles
- Providence Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison in California-to-RI Heroin & Cocaine Pipeline
- NEW: Convicted Cocaine Trafficker on Federal Supervised Release Arrested For Trafficking Cocaine
- Nine Men Charged in Large Scale Cocaine Conspiracy Tied to RI
- 4 Indicted for Allegedly Kidnapping U.S. Postal Service Worker at Gunpoint to Search for Cocaine
- Fox Point Traffic Stop Results in Firearm, Tequila Bottle, and Suspected Cocaine Seized
- NEW: Providence Man Detained on Federal Cocaine, Firearm Charges
- Botched Air Jordans for Crack Cocaine Deal Leads to Stabbing, According to Providence Police Report
- Man Sentenced to 77 Months in Prison for Trafficking Cocaine on Streets of Woonsocket
- Man Arrested by RI State Police With Over $80K Worth of Cocaine
- New Bedford Man Sentenced to 3.5 Years for Trafficking Crack Cocaine in RI
- ACI Prisoner Ran Crack Cocaine Ring From His Cell
- RI Man Allegedly Conspired to Possess Cocaine Shipped From Colombia in Old Model Tube TV
- Police Find Cocaine, Cash at Property Owned by RI State Representative
- EXCLUSIVE: Coming Tuesday — RISP Source Ties Top Cannabis Leader to Cocaine Dealing
- Alleged Rape and Cocaine: Two RI Health Professionals Have Licenses Suspended
- EXCLUSIVE: Documents Show RISP Source Claims McGraw Tied to Guilmette’s Alleged Cocaine Dealing
- Two Rhode Islanders Sentenced for Roles in Importing 37 Kilos of Cocaine Into State
- Cocaine Testing Issue Detected at RI Dept. of Health - Dozens of Criminal Cases Possibly Impacted
- “Operation River Fork” Defendant Pleads Guilty - Feds Seized Cocaine and Cash From RI House
- RI Man Admits to Trafficking Cocaine While on Federal Supervised Release
- RI Man Who Cooked Crack Cocaine at Apartment While Children Were Inside Sentenced to Prison
- Police Investigating Multiple Suspected Cocaine Overdoses at Providence Bar
- RI Man Admits Kilos of Cocaine Were Shipped From Puerto Rico to RI in Gift Wrap for Distribution
- Woman Ejected From “Slingshot” - Driver Hits Police; Cocaine, Gun Found - All at Roger Williams Park
- Cranston Councilman Reilly Arrested on Drug Charges—Crack Cocaine and Fentanyl Found
