BOSTON – A Boston man pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Nov. 3, 2022 on day four of his jury trial in connection with drug trafficking activities involving cocaine.
Julio Ortiz, 51, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release. Earlier in the hearing, Ortiz pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Ortiz was charged by complaint in August 2019 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2019.
An individual in Puerto Rico attempted to ship a box containing approximately 29 kilograms of cocaine to an automotive repair garage in Lawrence. After a routine inspection of the box, employees of the shipping company found packages appearing to be narcotics wrapped in plastic and notified law enforcement. A search of the package revealed a total of 29 kilograms of cocaine. Following a controlled delivery of the package to the recipient address in Lawrence, Ortiz and his co-defendant, Edgar Castro, were observed unpacking the box and moving containers of cocaine into another vehicle. Ortiz and Castro were arrested on site.
Ortiz’s co-defendant, Edgar Castro, pleaded guilty on Oct. 31, 2022 prior to jury empanelment and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 27, 2023.
The charges of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine provide for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Massachusetts State Police and the Woburn Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen W. Hassink and Lindsey E. Weinstein of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.