BOSTON — Jorge Carrasquillo-Ortiz, 41, of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, a former United Parcel Service employee, admitted in federal court to smuggling cocaine across state lines using the company’s shipping network. On Jan. 17, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of attempted distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine, capping a months-long investigation into a drug trafficking ring exploiting UPS operations.
Carrasquillo-Ortiz used his position at UPS in Puerto Rico to facilitate the transport of narcotics hidden inside packages destined for Massachusetts. For each kilogram of cocaine shipped, he was paid $1,200 by a drug trafficking organization. Authorities say he knowingly bypassed security protocols, slipping drug-laced parcels onto UPS aircraft bound for the mainland U.S.
In June 2016, a cooperating witness began recording phone calls with Carrasquillo-Ortiz to arrange a six-kilogram cocaine shipment. Those conversations led to the delivery of a package containing six kilograms of sham cocaine to Carrasquillo-Ortiz in Puerto Rico. He processed and shipped the package through UPS channels, successfully delivering it to Massachusetts.
Believing he had completed the job, Carrasquillo-Ortiz called the cooperating witness to collect payment. Instead, federal agents arrested him at his home in August 2016. The sting operation exposed the vulnerability of commercial logistics networks to exploitation by drug traffickers.
The charge carries a minimum mandatory sentence of five years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, and a supervised release term of at least three years to life. Sentencing is scheduled for April 13, 2017, before U.S. District Court Senior Judge Rya Zobel in Boston.
The case was announced by United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s New England Field Division; Colonel Richard D. McKeon of the Massachusetts State Police; Shelly Binkowski, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Joel P. Garland, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Boston. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric S. Rosen is prosecuting the case.
Related Federal Cases
- Puerto Rico Man Smuggled Cocaine to CT via U.S. Mail · Massachusetts
- Roberto Muniz Sentenced in Cocaine Mail Ring · Massachusetts
- Dartmouth Woman and Weymouth Man Indicted in Cocaine Trafficking Ring · Massachusetts
- UPS Insider Sentenced in Cocaine Smuggling Ring · Massachusetts
- Shawn M. Herron Indicted in Mail Theft, Cocaine Scheme · Massachusetts
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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