Concord - United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today that Geraldo De La Cruz Cabral Pena appeared in federal court today after being extradited from the Dominican Republic to face a drug trafficking conspiracy charge.
Cabral Pena, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, is charged with participating in a conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with the intent to distribute, one kilogram or more of heroin from 2013 through October 2016. A grand jury for the District of New Hampshire indicted Cabral Pena on the charge on Jan. 25, 2017.
After he was charged, authorities in the United States and in the Dominican Republic worked to locate Cabral Pena. He was arrested by Dominican Republic authorities in March 2018. Extradition proceedings resulted in his release to the DEA on Aug. 16, 2018. DEA agents brought him from the Dominican Republic to the United States the same day.
“Defendants facing federal indictment on drug trafficking charges should expect that the full weight of law enforcement will be brought to bear to return them to the United States for trial" said U.S. Attorney Murray. “This was a cooperative effort and I want to thank the Dominican authorities as well as the federal, state and local law enforcement agencies that contributed to this successful result."
“DEA is addressing the threat, both domestically and internationally," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle. “Today’s extradition not only holds Mr. Cabral Pena accountable for his actions but serves as a warning to those traffickers who are fueling the opioid epidemic, that DEA will do everything in its power to bring them to justice. This investigation demonstrates the strength and continued commitment of our local, state, federal and international law enforcement partners."
If convicted, Cabral Pena faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison and a fine of $10,000,000.
The indictment is an allegation. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration; Homeland Security Investigations; the Massachusetts State Police; the Haverhill Police Department; the United States Marshals Service; the New Hampshire State Police; the Manchester Police Department; the Lawrence Police Department; and the Methuen Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Donald A. Feith is prosecuting the case.
This case was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
