BOSTON, MA – Joel Enrique Armenta Castro, 31, has been sentenced to four years in prison for participating in a drug trafficking organization based in Mexico. Following his prison term, Castro will serve two years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty on June 29 to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, as well as distributing and possessing with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.
The investigation into the drug trafficking organization began in August 2022, when authorities discovered the group was attempting to establish a cocaine distribution network in the Boston area. Castro, identified as a member of this organization, came to Boston to aid in the distribution of multiple kilograms of cocaine. On August 29, he acquired 15 kilograms of cocaine from a tractor trailer at a service plaza on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Ludlow, intending to distribute it through the network.