BOSTON – In a wide-ranging operation, the leader of a Lawrence-based heroin and fentanyl drug trafficking organization pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston.
Juan Anibal Patrone, 28, a Dominican national formerly residing in Lawrence, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, and 400 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of being an alien in possession of a firearm.
U.S. Senior District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock scheduled sentencing for Jan. 10, 2019. Patrone has been in custody since his arrest in May 2017.
The operation dismantled two Lawrence-based drug trafficking organizations, one run by Patrone and another led by Santo Ramon Gonzalez Nival, who was a source of supply for Patrone.
Patroneran his organization like a business. He bought drugs from suppliers, such as co-conspirator Domingo Gonzalez Martinez, who supplied drugs to Patrone out of the Corniel Market in Lawrence.
Patron faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, a fine of up to $10 million, and will be subject to deportation proceedings.
Bernaldo Rosario Santiago, a member of the Nival Gonzalez organization, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to five years in prison, four years of supervised release, and ordered to forfeit approximately $18,000.
The investigation was led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA. Patrone has been in custody since his arrest in May 2017.
The defendant’s assets are primarily in the Dominican Republic, and the government has undertaken efforts to freeze and forfeit them as part of his sentence in this case.
Defendant:
Juan Anibal Patrone
Criminal Charges:
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, and 400 grams or more of fentanyl; being an alien in possession of a firearm
City and State:
Boston, Massachusetts
Date:
May 2017 (arrest), Jan. 10, 2019 (sentencing)
Sentence or Outcome:
Up to life in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release, up to $10 million fine, deportation proceedings
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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