NYC Man Charged With TF Green Cocaine Trafficking

WARWICK, RI — A New York man is detained in Rhode Island on federal charges alleging TF Green Cocaine trafficking after Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents found more than 13 kg of cocaine inside a carry-on bag.

According to charging documents, the bag was allegedly in his  possession when he disembarked in a wheelchair from a direct flight from the Dominican Republic on September 28, 2023.

United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha announced the charges Monday.  Charging documents allege Richard Pineda Novas, 46, of Bronx, N.Y., was among passengers on a flight from Santo Domingo. After initial screening upon his arrival in Rhode Island, Pineda was referred for secondary inspection based on a CBP notice that he was allegedly linked to an individual who had been arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York in 2021, while importing approximately 14.95 Kilograms of cocaine that were concealed in a wheelchair.

 According to the charging documents, a carry-on bag located near Pineda after his arrival at T.F. Green International Airport was found to contain twelve rectangular brick-like packages wrapped in plastic and tape, consistent with the manner in which cocaine is packaged. One of the packages was more closely inspected by CBP agents and was alleged to have been found to contain cocaine. The total weight of the twelve packages was approximately 13.28 kilograms. Also located inside the bag was a bible that contained a paycheck from a New Jersey company in Pineda’s name and a voided check/direct deposit slip from a New York bank that listed Penda as the payee.

Pineda initially denied that the carry-on bag belonged to him; he later claimed to CBP agents that he had been given the bag by someone whose name he did not know and that he did not know who was going to pick up the package in the United States, according to court records.

Pineda is charged by way of a federal criminal complaint with a charge of conspiracy to distribute and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance; as well as a charge of distribution of, and possession with intent to distribute, a controlled substance. A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

 The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Denise M. Barton. The matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection, Port of Providence.