BOSTON - Two men have been sentenced in federal court in Boston for their roles in a cocaine conspiracy operating in and around the Taunton and Worcester areas.
Angel Oyola, 36, of Caguas, Puerto Rico, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to two years in prison and three years of supervised release. In January 2019, Oyola pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.
Luis Elias, 44, of Worcester, was sentenced today by Judge Woodlock to 78 months in prison and four years of supervised release. In January 2019, Elias pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
Oyola, Elias, and eight co-defendants, were charged in May 2018 for their roles in a large scale cocaine conspiracy operating in and around the Taunton and Worcester areas. The charges were a culmination of a nine-month investigation aimed at attacking the increased volume of cocaine flooding southern and central Massachusetts. The defendants allegedly controlled and managed a lucrative and sophisticated drug trafficking and distribution ring in the region.
In November 2017, Oyola brokered and coordinated a transaction for nine kilograms of cocaine, which were shipped from Puerto Rico to Massachusetts. Elias received multiple kilograms of cocaine when they were shipped from Puerto Rico to Worcester and also shipped and carried drug proceeds back down to Puerto Rico. In January 2018, Elias was stopped at the San Juan International Airport with $41,700 in U.S. currency in his luggage.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston; Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn; and Fairhaven Police Chief Michael Myers made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Graber of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the cases.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
