Maria Miguelina Lara Lara Gets 3 Years for Heroin Trafficking

CONCORD, N.H. — Maria Miguelina Lara Lara, a/k/a Maribel Santiago-Ramos, a/k/a La Cuna, a/k/a Miguelina, 33, of the Dominican Republic, was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for her role in a heroin trafficking conspiracy that flooded New Hampshire and Massachusetts with deadly drugs.

Court documents show Lara Lara was a daily courier for a Lawrence-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) between October 2015 and October 2016, personally delivering heroin to customers across state lines. The DTO operated with ruthless efficiency, exploiting addiction to fuel profits while poisoning communities on both sides of the border.

Lara Lara pleaded guilty on July 24, 2017, to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, heroin. Her sentence is part of a wider federal crackdown led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) targeting heroin networks in New Hampshire, where overdose rates continue to surge.

The investigation dismantled much of the ring: Alberto Guerrero Marte, 38, got 15 years; Toribio Guerrero Marte, 10 years; Allan Raymond Pimentel, 57 months; Jose De la Altagracia Pimental Lara a/k/a Luis Colon, 63 months; Allison DeJesus, 19, received five years probation; Jonaly DeJesus, 22, got time served and five years supervised release. Mark Gagnon, 54, of Candia, was sentenced to 48 months in a related case. Michell DeJesus, 34; Santo Rodolfo Garcia Mendez, 33; Wilkin Andres Beltre Arias, 39; and Edward Garcia, 31, await sentencing.

“Members of the law enforcement community are working together to stop the flow of heroin and other deadly drugs into New Hampshire,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John J. Farley. “While we strongly support access to treatment for those suffering from addiction, those who profit from the distribution of these substances will be prosecuted aggressively.”

DEA Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Ferguson called the crisis “unlike ever before.” “Those suffering from fentanyl and heroin addiction need treatment and recovery, but those that distribute and profit from spreading this misery need to be held accountable,” he said. The case was investigated by DEA, HSI, Massachusetts State Police, New Hampshire State Police, and multiple local departments, with prosecution by Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Feith, under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program.