Two Dominican Nationals Plead Guilty to Fentanyl Conspiracy in Massachusetts
BOSTON, MA – Two Dominican nationals have pleaded guilty to their roles in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
Angel Milciades Santana Polanco, 31, and Julio Cesar Baez, 49, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute more than 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Baez also pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of more than 400 grams of fentanyl.
According to court records, as part of an ongoing drug trafficking investigation, law enforcement agents intercepted telephones used by Wareng Jhonny Villar-Ortiz, 30, and Saul Martinez Escarfuller, 31, both of whom are also Dominican nationals, and determined that Villar-Ortiz was a mid-level drug distributor and that Martinez Escarfuller delivered a kilogram of drugs to Villar-Ortiz in late January 2018.
U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled Baez’s sentencing for Jan. 29, 2019, and Santana Polanco’s for Feb. 1, 2019.
Santana Polanco and Baez will also face deportation proceedings upon completion of their sentences. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The charges of participating in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute at least 400 grams of fentanyl and to possess with intent to distribute at least 400 grams of fentanyl both provide for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $10 million.
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.
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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