Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
Miguel Lopez, a 28-year-old from Southbridge, was sentenced on April 9 to six years in prison and five years of supervised release for his involvement in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy and unlawful possession of a machinegun. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman handed down the sentence after Lopez pleaded guilty in December 2025 to charges including conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and unlawful possession of a machine gun.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to address drug trafficking operations that span state lines and involve dangerous weapons. Authorities said that between April 2023 and April 2024, Lopez worked with others to distribute cocaine shipped from Puerto Rico into Massachusetts.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Lopez was seen multiple times collecting packages suspected of containing drugs during this period. On January 29, 2024, authorities seized a package addressed to him containing one kilogram of cocaine. In April 2024, investigators searching his home found about two kilograms of cocaine hidden inside another recently delivered package as well as a Glock pistol modified with a machinegun conversion device, ammunition, and high-capacity magazines.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the sentencing along with Jarod A. Forget from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Field Division and Jason Buckley from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin Brown prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF brings together multiple federal agencies in an effort focused on dismantling criminal cartels and transnational organizations operating within or targeting communities across the United States.
