Former Pa. man convicted in cocaine ring

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) - June 30, 2009 Thirty-eight-year-old Antonio Arias could face life in prison at his scheduled sentencing Sept. 14 in federal court in Hartford, Conn. He was convicted of conspiring to possess and distribute cocaine.

Arias was a citizen of the Dominican Republic who lived in an upscale Bethlehem neighborhood at the time of his arrest in December 2007.

Authorities say fruit shipments containing cocaine were imported to Bridgeport, Conn., and taken to a fruit distribution Arias operated in the Bronx. Police seized more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine worth $10 million dollars.

Two others arrested in the conspiracy have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.

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Information from: The Morning Call, http://www.mcall.com

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