BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his role in a cocaine conspiracy.
Luis Alfredo Baez, 53, of Boston, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 41 months in prison and two years of supervised release. On Feb. 23, 2021, Baez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, cocaine, cocaine base, oxycodone and marijuana and one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
In May 2019, Baez and two others were charged following an investigation of a drug trafficking organization in and around Brockton and Boston. According to court documents, in 2018, federal and state law enforcement began investigating a Brockton drug crew. That investigation identified Baez, a Boston-based drug dealer who distributed large quantities of cocaine. In June 2019, a federal grand jury returned a 17-count superseding indictment charging Baez and 16 others with controlled substance and firearm offenses. Baez is the eighth defendant to be sentenced in the case.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, cocaine, cocaine base, oxycodone and marijuana provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; William S. Walker, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; and Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Pohl and Alathea Porter of Mendell’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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