NYC cocaine ring kingpin gets 20 years to life

NYC cocaine ring kingpin gets 20 years to life

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York cocaine ring boss once cultivated his image so avidly that he kept a framed photo of his face superimposed on a shot of the drug lord from the 1983 film “Scarface.”

Now, Ceferino “Papo” Perez will spend 20 years to life behind bars.

Perez was sentenced today. The 45-year-old pleaded guilty Feb. 9 to a high-level drug trafficking charge.

Defense lawyer Peter Batalla says the resolution was appropriate for the case.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office says Perez and about two dozen others formed the drug-world equivalent of a pizza delivery service in East Harlem.

Prosecutors say workers were organized in two eight-hour shifts and carried business cards emblazoned “General Electronics.”

Prosecutors say 21 other defendants also pleaded guilty. Two are headed for trial.