Chicopee Auto Body Owner Pleads Guilty in Major Drug Ring

BOSTON – Jamil Roman, the former owner and operator of TWC Auto Body in Holyoke, has pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a massive drug conspiracy. The 44-year-old Chicopee resident admitted to conspiring with Javier Gonzalez to distribute four kilograms of cocaine in Western Massachusetts.

The scheme, which ran from January 2014 to March 2014, involved Roman collecting a debt for the cocaine from Gonzalez, who sourced the drugs from a Mexican supplier. Law enforcement seized nearly $1.17 million in cash during an operation on March 25, 2014, as payment for heroin and cocaine.

Roman was indicted alongside Gonzalez in March 2016 and has been awaiting sentencing. He is scheduled to be sentenced before U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni on March 23, 2022. The charge against Roman carries a potential sentence of up to 40 years in prison.

Gonzalez was sentenced to 30 months in prison and two years of supervised release in October 2021. He was also ordered to pay a fine of $20,000.

This case is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, which identifies and dismantles top-level criminal organizations. Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mandell and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Boston Field Division, announced the plea deal.

Sentences are determined based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors, with the possibility of a fine reaching $20 million and restitution.