Philadelphia men sentenced for drug bust on PA Turnpike

Two Philadelphia men arrested for possession of an estimated $140,000 in fentanyl-laced heroin during a 2023 traffic stop along the Pennsylvania Turnpike were sentenced Tuesday to serve lengthy prison terms.

Mario Antonio Caba, 39, and Elvis Luis Holguin Ventura, 29, were convicted of one felony and misdemeanor drug counts following nonjury trials in March.

Prosecutors said about 40,000 stamp bags of drugs were found hidden in a specially constructed subwoofer box in a vehicle pulled over during a traffic stop near New Stanton on Feb. 28, 2023.

According to court records, unmarked police drug patrols spotted a vehicle with expired inspection and emission stickers and became suspicious that “criminal activity was afoot.” They said that assessment was based on its appearance, registration information and circumstances related to its operation on what police said is a well-known drug smuggling route through Pennsylvania.

Investigators claimed the vehicle’s occupants appeared nervous, claimed they were traveling to Pittsburgh where one of the men said he operated a small car business while the driver, Ventura, presented Puerto Rican identification. Caba had a Pennsylvania driver’s license, police said.

They gave a verbal consent to police to search the vehicle, according to court records.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears ordered Ventura to serve 6 1/2 to 14 years in prison. Caba was sentenced to 6 to 12 years behind bars.

Both were given credit for the more than two years they have been in custody since their arrest.