PHILADELPHIA (July 21, 2025)—Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and prosecutors with the District Attorney’s Office Dangerous Drug Offenders Unit announced charges on Monday against Edgardo Rivera (DOB 3/30/90). Rivera is charged with numerous offenses in connection to a drug trafficking scheme he was operating in the city’s Kensington section. The announcement was made at a community space called Peace Park, located on the 3200 block of Potter Street, that opened on Sunday.
Rivera is charged with the following and related offenses:
- Possession with Intent to Deliver (F)
- Conspiracy (F)
- Criminal Use of Communication Facility (F3)
- Possession of an Instrument of Crime (M1)
- Four counts of Make Repairs/Sell Offensive Weapon (M1)
- Seven counts of Possession of Weapon (M1)
From March 12 to April 28, Philadelphia Police Department Field Unit Officers observed the defendant engaged in the sale of narcotics. Investigators collected enough evidence to obtain and execute a search warrant for a property on the 800 block of West Venango Street. Rivera was arrested immediately at the scene.
Investigators recovered approximately $19,000 worth of narcotics that included crack cocaine, cocaine, and a sizable quantity of marijuana. Nine firearms were also seized at the property, three of which were converted to fully automatic firearms. $10,000 in cash was also recovered.
“I commend the excellent investigation conducted by the Philadelphia Police Department in this case,” said District Attorney Krasner. “The amount of firearms and narcotics seized here highlights the threat Mr. Rivera posed to the Kensington community. Assistant District Attorney Keion Cook, who is assigned to this matter, and the DAO’s Dangerous Drug Offenders Unit, led by Assistant District Attorney Paul Reddel, will prosecute Mr. Rivera vigorously and hold this defendant appropriately accountable.
“I also commend Shane Claiborne, Mural Arts Philadelphia, and everyone in the community who helped conceive of and bring to life this Peace Park. My office is proud to support community leaders like these and so many others across the city who work tirelessly to prevent violence and address the root causes of crime.”
“I’m thrilled to be gathering here today not just for a law enforcement announcement, but for a day to celebrate the opening of this new Peace Park,” said Shane Claiborne, founder of The Simple Way, and who helped create Peace Park with Philadelphia artist Jacob Hammes. “We’re all aware of the heaviness of drugs and gun violence in Kensington. But what is also here is resilience and a defiant hope. The space we’re in today is a reclaiming of that hope, to say that all things can be made new and that a better world is possible.”
CONTACT:
Dustin Slaughter, [email protected]
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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is the largest prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves the more than 1.5 million residents of the City and County of Philadelphia, employing 600 lawyers, detectives, and support staff. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for the prosecution of approximately 40,000 criminal cases annually. Learn more about the DAO by visiting PhillyDA.org.