BOSTON - Two Lowell men were indicted today in federal court in Boston for heroin and fentanyl trafficking.
Joshua Ramos-Rios, 30, and Anderson Daniel Jorge Cruz, 20, were indicted for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and fentanyl. Ramos-Rios and Jorge Cruz were arrested on Jan. 23, 2019, and charged by complaint. They have been in custody since.
According to the charging documents, on Jan. 23, 2019, federal, state, and local law enforcement seized over one kilogram of suspected heroin and fentanyl from Ramos-Rios and Jorge Cruz in an undercover operation. Ramos-Rios is currently on parole in Massachusetts for drug and firearm offenses, and Jorge Cruz has an outstanding warrant for homicide in Allentown, Pa.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and fentanyl provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, a minimum of five years of supervised release, and a fine of $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
DEA New England Division Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle, United States Attorney Andrew Lelling, Lowell Police Superintendent Raymond Kelly Richardson, and Colonel Kerry Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement.
