District Attorney Seth Williams said a total of 17 people, including a husband and wife from Puerto Rico, were arrested after a three-month long investigation.
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It all began back in February when the D.A.'s office received a tip that garages and auto body shops across Philadelphia were equipping vehicles with special compartments for trafficking drugs.
According to investigators, those vehicles would be driven to New York, loaded with cocaine, and then brought back to Philadelphia.
In all, 28 kilos of cocaine with a street value of close to $3 million were seized. Another $300,000 in cash, 16 vehicles, 11 properties and five guns were seized in this operation, the D.A. said.
The bust was a result of a September 2011 arrest involving the Sinaloa drug cartel out of Mexico, according to the D.A.
The suspects were identified as:
Lisette E. Pichardo of San Juan, Puerto Rico (no age given)
Juan D. Rivera, 26, of San Juan, Puerto Rico
Jorge Rivera, 38, of Philadelphia
Orlando Torres (no age or hometown given)
Kevan K Grant, 27
Angel Trent, 22
Ricardo Rivera Colon, 36
Alexis Matos Colon, 35
Eric Encarnacion, 48
Anibal Cruz, 45
Jacqueline Rodriguez, 26
Keyshla Maria Rodriguez, 22
Miguel Cruz, 32
Jose Roberto Felix Soto, 28
Angel Vasques, 25
Pete Rodriguez, 40
Juan Rodriguez, 44
