Federal prosecutors say a Rochester man will serve life in prison plus 10 years for his role in a major drug network.
Pablo Plaza was sentenced in federal court in Rochester after being found guilty of murdering Francisco Santos, possessing and distributing large amounts of illegal narcotics and using a gun in furtherance of a drug conspiracy.
Prosecutors worked with Rochester Police and federal ATF agents to put the case together. Acting U.S. Attorney James Kennedy Jr. says it ended well, but justice was a long time coming. Plaza and his brother ran a violent drug trafficking gang in Rochester from 1993 until it was broken up in March of 2011. Santos was murdered in 1998 because they believed he’d stolen drugs from them.
It’s taken five years to get the various prosecutions wrapped up.