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Philly Cocaine Dealer Who Tried To Kill Witness Gets Sentenced: Usdoj

A convicted Philadelphia drug dealer who tried to have a witness assassinated while awaiting trial last year will spend the better part of a century in federal prison, prosecutors say. 

Cocaine; A DEA agent

Cocaine; A DEA agent

Photo Credit: DEA.gov // DEA Instagram

Luis Algarin-Torres, 34, was sentenced to 622 months, or just shy of 52 years, plus six years of supervised release, according to the US Attorney's Office. 

During a raid on his Hunting Park home in 2018, authorities said they found $28,000 in cash, 34 grams of cocaine, and a loaded gun that had been modified to fire automatically stashed in a kitchen light fixture. 

They also found evidence that Algarin-Torres tried to get another inmate to kill a witness while he was incarcerated, the US Attorney's Office said. 

He pleaded guilty to multiple drug offenses and not guilty to the gun charges ahead of his March 2023 trial, authorities said. 

A jury found him guilty of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after a three-day trial, officials said. 

“Luis Algarin-Torres received a very long prison sentence because he’s a career offender and very dangerous man,” said U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero. 

"For years, this large-scale drug trafficker helped flood Philadelphia with poison, and after he was arrested for it, tried to have a witness killed to better his chances at trial. Putting violent criminals like this out of business and behind bars makes our community a safer place."

The  Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. 

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