Two men from New Castle will soon spend time behind bars for violating federal narcotics laws.

Kevin Tulla Torres, 28, and Luis Rivera Otera, 37, both plead guilty to distributing and conspiring to distribute cocaine.

Torres, with the help of Otera, managed a drug trafficking operation that sold drugs in West Pennsylvania, specifically in Lawrence County, according to court reports.

Additionally, 14 others were involved in this operation were charged in a separate indictment as a result of a 13-month sting.

Now Torres could see a maximum sentence of life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million. Otera could see a max sentence of 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine.

This prosecution was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. 

OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Lawrence County is one of six western Pennsylvania counties officially designated as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area by the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy.

It got this designation in 2022.