PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A Providence man will be sentenced later this year after prosecutors say he took custody of a package from Puerto Rico that contained nearly two kilograms of cocaine.
Robinson Padilla-Rosario, 38, pleaded guilty to a federal charge of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine using a communication device to facilitate the commission of a drug felony, the office of U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha announced.
According to the charging documents, Padilla-Rosario tried to accept a package addressed to Jose Azcona on April 15, 2021, saying he was a relative and the package contained medication for Azcona, but he was told by the U.S. Postal Service worker that Azcona would have to claim the parcel himself.
Two days later, Padilla-Rosario picked up the package after claiming to be Azcona and was arrested upon leaving the post office, prosecutors said. He had a license with the name and address where the package was supposed to be delivered, along with a phone that he’d been using to communicate with a person from Puerto Rico, according to prosecutors.
Padilla-Rosario is scheduled to be sentenced on August 16.
This past March, packages containing nearly two kilograms of cocaine were seized from a home in Rehoboth. They had been shipped from Puerto Rico, police said, and the potential suspect was identified as “a man from Providence,” but it’s unclear at this time if the two cases are connected in any way.