Alexander ‘Reds’ Rivera: Federal Trial, Verdict, and Life Sentence

Alexander “Reds” Rivera is a former North Philadelphia drug trafficking leader who was convicted by a federal jury in November 2011 and sentenced on April 3, 2012, to life in prison plus 60 months for running a violent narcotics operation in the Kensington neighborhood.¹

The Rivera Drug Organization

Prosecutors called it the Alexander Rivera Narcotics Distribution Organization, or ARDO. It operated from roughly February 2006 through September 2010, distributing cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, and PCP from a base at Indiana Avenue and Lawrence Street.² The organization “owned” several blocks of an open-air drug market and at its peak sold roughly $18,000 worth of crack cocaine per week, according to prosecutors.³

Rivera handled the acquisition of narcotics; co-defendants sold on the street. Vacant properties and residences across North Philadelphia served as stash houses.⁴ One detail set the case apart. Rivera kept a garage that doubled as a stable and petting zoo, with horses, chickens, cows, roosters, and a bull. Authorities identified it as a primary drug storage location and later said it was also used for cockfighting.⁵ The animals let Rivera mix with neighborhood children and gave the site a look of legitimacy over what prosecutors said was a major narcotics hub.³

Violence Used to Hold Territory

The indictment described three specific incidents. On September 26, 2006, Rivera was involved in a shootout with a rival dealer that left an innocent bystander injured. On August 14, 2007, a top lieutenant and two others kidnapped and tortured a person who owed Rivera drug money. On December 24, 2009, Rivera and co-defendant Cesar Burgos hired someone to shoot a rival dealer.⁴ Beyond those acts, Rivera was known for ordering associates to beat competitors who tried to sell on his blocks.³

The Federal Case

Agents built the investigation using wiretaps, informant testimony, and controlled buys. Raids in September 2010 turned up $20,000 in cash, multiple weapons, and quantities of crack, powder cocaine, and heroin. Rivera, his wife, his mother-in-law, and ten associates were arrested.⁵

On November 10, 2010, a federal grand jury returned a 27-count indictment against 13 members of the group. The conspiracy count alleged distribution of 280 grams or more of crack cocaine, 500 grams or more of cocaine, heroin, and 100 grams or more of PCP. Rivera and three others also faced firearms-in-furtherance charges.⁶

Trial and Verdict

Every co-defendant except Rivera and his wife, Ileana Vidal, pleaded guilty. The two went to trial in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. On November 28, 2011, a jury convicted Rivera on every count: conspiracy, multiple counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.² Vidal was convicted on the single conspiracy count against her.⁷

The Life Sentence

On April 3, 2012, U.S. District Judge Juan R. Sanchez sentenced Rivera to life in prison plus an additional 60 months.¹ The life term was mandatory given the drug quantities tied to the conspiracy conviction, and the extra five years came from the firearms count. Vidal faced a mandatory minimum of ten years on her conspiracy conviction, with sentencing set shortly after Rivera’s.⁵

1
U.S. Department of Justice. Leader of Violent City Drug Gang Sentenced
2
FBI. Leader of Violent City Drug Gang Convicted of All Charges
3
The Philadelphia Inquirer. Kensington Man Convicted of Running Longtime Narcotics Network
4
U.S. Department of Justice. Rivera Et Al. Indictment Press Release
5
NBC Philadelphia. Alleged North Philly Drug Kingpin Convicted
6
U.S. Department of Justice. Rivera Et Al. Indictment
7
The Philadelphia Inquirer. Jury Convicts Drug Dealer Who Kept Horses in N. Phila.