Chesco cocaine ring 'leader' gets hefty jail term

Salvador Lemus, a Mexican immigrant, picked mushrooms, fruits, and vegetables, and worked in landscaping for decades, to support his family. The work and age took a toll on his knees, so Lemus, a U.S. citizen, retired a few years ago.

That, according to his attorney, is when the 67-year-old Chester County man started selling cocaine.

Prosecutors countered that for 20 years, Lemus was the "kingpin" of a cocaine ring that moved $60 million worth of product from Philadelphia and elsewhere to customers throughout the region.

On Thursday, the man members of the drug ring called "El Viejo," or "The Old One," was sentenced to up to 54 years and eight months in prison.

Lemus, of East Marlborough Township, pleaded guilty in March to 25 counts of possession with intent to deliver, one count of conspiracy, and one count of corrupt organizations.

He admitted to delivering cocaine at least 17 times between March and May 2014, selling the drug to an informant, and intending to sell the four ounces of cocaine police found in his home on Oak Tree Road.

"I need to send a clear message that drug dealing cannot be tolerated, so there is a deterrent effect," Chester County Court Judge James P. MacElree said before meting out the sentence - 27 years and eight months to 54 years and eight months - at the Chester County Justice Center.

The judge said he would have given Lemus a longer sentence if he were younger or if there were evidence he had been violent.

Lemus, who has been in Chester County Prison since his arrest on May 1, 2014, was given credit for time served and is eligible for early release. Even so, he is unlikely to get out before he is 88.

Prosecutors were satisfied with the sentence. They had asked for a "lengthy" prison term, because, they said, the drug ring harmed the community. They said Lemus committed his crimes openly, believed he was "untouchable" by law enforcement, and never took full responsibility for his role as the leader of the trafficking operation for 20 years.

"Two years," Lemus said through an interpreter Thursday, soft-spoken and appearing in shackles. "No, no, not 20."

Lemus' attorney, John Pavloff, said his client was "not the cocaine king" prosecutors made him out to be, calling the crimes "victimless" and asking for a 10-year sentence in light of his client's age and the degree of his offenses.

"The defendant was not a big drug dealer, but a little drug dealer," he said. "A very busy little drug dealer, but a little drug dealer."

MacElree agreed, to an extent.

"I don't find that you are a kingpin in the drug world, but I do find you were the leader of your particular enterprise," MacElree said.

A year-long investigation into Lemus, his son Francisco, and their drug trafficking operation in southern Chester County began in 2013 through the cooperation of Chester County Detectives and local, state, and federal agencies. The investigation, which included months of secretly recorded phone calls, led to the arrests of more than 50 people.

In April, a jury found Lemus' son, who prosecutors say was his second-in-command, guilty of more than 100 felony charges. He is awaiting sentencing.

Lemus' wife and a daughter pleaded guilty to felony drug charges.

One of Lemus' daughters, Maria, told the judge her father was a "generous, caring, loving" family man.

"My children still say, 'I want to be like him,' " she said.

As Lemus left the courtroom, he gave a little wave to Maria, another daughter, and the two young children with them in the courtroom.

mbond@philly.com

610-313-8207

@MichaelleBond