PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Boston man has been sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for trafficking heroin into Providence, R.I. Rhode Island residents are breathing a sigh of relief as the streets are a little bit safer. Efrain Arroyo Melendez, aka Frank Feliz Baez, 49, of the Allston section of Boston, Mass., was sentenced on July 22, 2015 in U.S. District Court before Judge Mary M. Lisi. He will also serve 5 years supervised release upon completion of his prison sentence.
Melendez pleaded guilty on March 2, 2015 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute heroin, and one count of possession and attempt to possess with the intent to distribute heroin.
According to court records, on January 27, 2014, as a result of a DEA investigation into the alleged trafficking of heroin into Providence, DEA agents, with the assistance of Rhode Island State Police, intercepted a piece of luggage at the Amtrak Station inside of which they discovered approximately 2.3 kilograms of heroin.
After taking the woman who was carrying the luggage, Amalia Martin, 39, of Providence, into custody, agents learned that the package of heroin was to be delivered to Melendez. The next day DEA agents arranged to deliver a package purporting to contain the heroin to Melendez. Melendez was arrested after taking custody of the package from a DEA undercover agent.
Martin, who pleaded guilty on December 18, 2014 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute heroin, and one count of possession and attempt to possess with the intent to distribute heroin, is scheduled to be sentenced on September 15, 2015.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul F. Daly, Jr.
Officers assigned to the Rhode Island DEA Drug Task Force assisted in the investigation.
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Key Facts
- State: Rhode Island
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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