WORCESTER – A Worcester man was sentenced on Tuesday in federal court for his role in a cocaine trafficking ring responsible for smuggling over 20 kilograms of cocaine into central Massachusetts.
Jose Gonzalez, 38, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release.
Gonzalez had previously plead guilty to conspiring to distribute in excess of five kilograms of cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine.
An investigation conducted in connection with federal wiretaps revealed that in Dec. 2017, Gonzalez had been the intended recipient of a package mailed from Puerto Rico containing three kilograms of cocaine.
In Jan. 2018, more wiretaps and surveillance revealed Gonzalez participated in attempting to smuggle an additional six kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico.
In this scheme, Gonzalez and others were using a U.S. Postal employee to retrieve the packages of cocaine.
As it unfolded, agents seized one of the packages — found to contain three kilograms of cocaine — and allowed the second to be delivered to the conspiracy members under continuing electronic and physical surveillance.
Authorities observed the postal employee deliver the package to a conspirator and then arrested several additional co-defendants. The second package was seized, and was found to contain another three kilograms of cocaine.
Over $40,000 in cash and drug ledgers documenting the sale of well over 20 kilograms of cocaine were also seized during a search.
Gonzalez is the first of four defendants — all from Worcester — charged federally to be sentenced as a result of the investigation.
The other co-defendants are as follows:
- Japhet Garcia — scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 1, 2019
- Erick Cruz — scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 8, 2019,
- Deibby Garcia — scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 1, 2019.
Another alleged member of the conspiracy, Caroline Cartagena, faces state charges.
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