Man Sentenced In CA To Rhode Island Heroin, Cocaine Pipeline

MARINA DEL REY, CA — A Rhode Island man who admitted to participating in a criminal drug conspiracy that shipped more than 200 packages containing large quantities of heroin and cocaine from Los Angeles, Culver City, and Marina del Rey, to cities and towns in the greater Providence and Southeastern Massachusetts areas, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, the U.S. Department of Justice announced this week.

Shawn A. Silva, 38, previously admitted to the court that between May 2017 and August 2019, he routinely traveled to cities in the greater Providence and Southeastern, Mass., areas to retrieve parcels that contained large quantities of heroin and cocaine shipped to commercial mail receiving agencies, officials said.

An investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service and Rhode Island High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force determined that at least 219 packages containing heroin and cocaine were shipped by members of the conspiracy from California to the greater Providence and Southeastern, MA, areas.

Co-defendant Robert A. Brown, 32, of Los Angeles, previously admitted to the court that he and others purchased large quantities of heroin and cocaine, and that they broke the larger quantities into smaller packages and shipped the packages to, among other places, commercial mail receiving agencies in the greater Providence and Southeastern, MA, areas.

A court-authorized search of Brown’s Los Angeles apartment on Aug. 14, 2019, resulted in the seizure of more than a kilogram of cocaine in vacuumed sealed bags, $32,150 in cash, a loaded semi-automatic handgun and a semi-automatic rifle, various Priority Mail package receipts, commercial mailbox rental receipts, numerous fraudulent driver’s licenses, a cash counting machine, and various items used to package and distribute drugs.

Silva and Brown pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess more than one kilogram of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine, and possession with intent to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin.

Brown, who pleaded guilty on July 28, 2020, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith on Oct. 29, 2020, to 78 months in federal prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release.

Silva, who pleaded guilty on Nov. 11, 2020, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to 60 months in federal prison to be followed by four years of supervised release.

Additionally, Joel P. Sennon, 42, of Providence, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess more than one kilogram of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 5, 2020.

Giselle S. Polanco, 22, and Marion V. Gamboa, 25, of Providence, previously pleaded guilty to charges brought as a result of this investigation and are awaiting sentencing. Sentencing hearings have not yet been scheduled.

Deondre Jones, 43, of Los Angeles, and Valerie G. Gamboa, 26, of Providence, are awaiting trial, officials said.