BOSTON - A Boston man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and oxycodone.
Yonatan Lara, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, cocaine, cocaine base, oxycodone, and marijuana. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Oct. 1, 2020. Lara has been in custody since he was charged by criminal complaint and arrested on May 30, 2019.
In 2018, a federal and state investigation into the members of a drug trafficking organization in and around the Boston area revealed that Jose Perez Felix, a/k/a “Eugenio Piedraita-Rivera," a/k/a “Roberto Patricio Ramirez," a/k/a “Grande," distributed large quantities of narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine, from a base of operations in Boston. Lara and, allegedly, Perez Felix used a 2008 black Subaru Outback, registered to Lara, to distribute narcotics. Federal agents observed Lara and, allegedly, Perez Felix take “meaningless" rides in the Subaru - essentially driving the car around the block or a short distance as a means of shielding their transactions from law enforcement - and saw Lara use the Subaru to distribute narcotics to street-level dealers and users. Agents intercepted Lara and, allegedly, Perez Felix discussing the acquisition and distribution of oxycodone pills. Over the course of the investigation, agents seized oxycodone and fentanyl pills from Lara after two street-level sales.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, cocaine, cocaine base, oxycodone, and marijuana, provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Michael Shea, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Brockton Police Chief Emanuel Gomes; John Gibbons, U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; and Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Pohl and Alathea Porter of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the complaint 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
