Philadelphia's own Alberto Cintron, also known by aliases "Bert" and "Nephew," is facing a lengthy prison stint following a notable crackdown on drug trafficking operations in Pennsylvania. On Friday, United States Attorney David Metcalf confirmed that the 37-year-old has been sentenced to nearly two decades behind bars for his role in distributing deadly substances like methamphetamine and fentanyl. Judge John M. Younge handed down a 234-month prison sentence to Cintron, set to be followed by a decade of supervised release.
The indictment from May of 2024 accused Cintron of running drug trafficking operations across multiple counties, setting the gears in motion for an aggressive investigation leading to his guilty plea this July. Striking in the dead of night, federal authorities unearthed over 5,500 bags of fentanyl and several pounds of methamphetamine at his residence. Subsequently, they nabbed multiple firearms that he was forbidden by law to possess.
This case emerged from Operation Take Back America, a sweeping national effort directed at shutting down illegal immigration, gambling on the disruption of cartels, and the broadside attack against transnational criminal organizations. The strategy blends the might of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods, aiming to foster safer communities. Investigative efforts leading to Cintron's sentencing were pooled from multiple agencies including the DEA, Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, and local Pennsylvania State Police.
Cintron's operation was no small-time racket, as evidenced by the massive haul of drugs and guns seized in connection to his criminal endeavors. According to a Department of Justice release, from July to October 2023, Cintron's drug trafficking group was responsible for over five kilograms of methamphetamine and more than a kilogram of fentanyl distribution. Relying on his associates and personal delivery, drugs were circulated near school zones, raising the stakes of his punishable offenses.
Assistant United States Attorney Lindsey Mills, alongside Special Assistant United States Attorney and Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Kathleen McLaughlin, prosecuted the case. Their collective efforts paint a stark reminder of the law's reach, undeterred and unyielding, in the perennial battle to snuff out drug-fueled corruption within America's veins.
