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Betancourt Miguel, Cocaine Trafficking, Massachusetts 2017
Eight men have been charged in connection with trafficking large quantities of cocaine and heroin from Mexico to the Springfield area in Massachusetts.
The indictments are the result of a 14-month wiretap investigation into a large-scale drug trafficking organization supplied by sources in Mexico and spanning at least four states.
The eight defendants include:
- Miguel Betancourt, 50, of Springfield, was charged with conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and money laundering conspiracy.
- Isaac Cardona, 31, of Springfield, was charged with conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, conspiring to traffic at least one kilogram of heroin, and money laundering conspiracy.
- Rafael Cardona Sr., 58, of Springfield, was charged with conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, and conspiring to traffic at least one kilogram of heroin.
- Victor Hugo Gonzalez, 27, of Perris, Calif., was charged with conspiring to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, and money laundering conspiracy.
- Jose Martinez, 32, of Lehigh Acres, Fla., was charged with conspiring to traffic at least one kilogram of heroin, and money laundering conspiracy.
- Carlos Mares Jr., 39, of Springfield, was charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
- Lorenzo Deconinck, 59, of Jamaica, Vt., was charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
- Juan Ramos, 37, of Wardsboro, Vt., was charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
The investigation revealed that the defendants conspired to traffic cocaine and heroin from Mexico, through California, to the Springfield area and into New England.
According to court documents, Betancourt, the Cardonas, Gonzalez, and Martinez conspired with Cruz to traffic cocaine and heroin from Mexico, through California, to the Springfield area and into New England. The conspiracy involved approximately 32 kilograms of cocaine and at least one kilogram of pure fentanyl.
One of the co-conspirators, David Cruz, 40, of Westfield, Mass., was arrested in September 2016 and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug offense, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The indictment alleges that Betancourt used his Enfield, Conn., used-car dealership to convey vehicles to Cruz and register them in Massachusetts in the name of a third-party. In December 2015, Betancourt used a bank account held in the name of the dealership to wire $9,500 of Cruz’s drug proceeds to a bank account in Michoacán, Mexico, held by a relative of one of his Mexican cocaine sources.
The investigation is ongoing, and the indictment is a significant step towards bringing the perpetrators to justice.
The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Springfield.
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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