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Jose David Silva Pestano, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, and one count of possession with intent to distribute one kilogram of heroin. He made his plea before U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford.
According to court documents, Silva Pestano and others conspired to traffic multi-kilogram quantities of heroin from Mexico to the Bridgeport area. On multiple occasions between April 2015 and March 2017, Silva Pestano personally transported more than 30 kilograms of heroin into Connecticut.
On Feb. 14, Silva Pestano was arrested in Nogales, Ariz., after he crossed the border on a motorcycle carrying 11.94 kilograms of heroin in a concealed compartment, prosecutors said.
On March 16, a grand jury in Hartford returned an indictment charging Silva Pestano and six others with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, and related offenses.
Silva Pestano also was charged in Arizona with possession with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin. The Arizona case was transferred to Connecticut for further prosecution.
When sentenced March 22, Silva Pestano faces a mandatory minimum prison term of 10 years and a maximum term of life in prison.
He has been detained since his arrest.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force, DEA’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, and Bridgeport Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Vizcarrondo and Alina Reynolds.
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