Mail Carrier Who Delivered Cocaine Sentenced To 5 Years In Prison

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - A New York City mail carrier who admitted to carrying out hundreds of pounds of cocaine deliveries for a drug-trafficking ring has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Former Bronx mail carrier Jermaine Sandifer was sentenced Tuesday in Brooklyn after pleading guilty in January to distributing more than 300 pounds of cocaine. The Daily News reports prosecutors say he was recruited by a drug ring to intercept incoming packages from Puerto Rico that contained cocaine, and then deliver them.

Prosecutors say the 41-year-old Sandifer was paid between $1,000 and $5,000 for the deliveries. He has since resigned from the U.S. Postal Service.

Sandifer's attorney says money was tight for his client when he was recruited.

The sentencing follows news earlier this month about arrests made at a McDonalds in the Bronx where police say cocaine was being hidden inside orders of food.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)