Lam Peralta, Mejia Paredes Charged in Guatemala Heroin Plot

Marco Antonio Lam Peralta and Diego Walther Anibal Mejia Paredes are facing a federal conspiracy charge tied to a massive 40-kilogram heroin shipment from Guatemala to a Manchester Center, Vermont restaurant. A federal grand jury in Rutland returned a Second Superseding Indictment last week, adding a count of conspiracy to distribute more than a kilogram of heroin, escalating the charges in a case that began with intercepted international packages and a controlled delivery sting.

The indictment re-alleges prior charges: possession with intent to distribute over a kilogram of heroin against both defendants, and harboring an illegal alien against Lam Peralta alone. If convicted on either heroin-related count, both men face a minimum of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum of life. The conspiracy charge alleges coordinated activity between July and October 2015, during which Lam Peralta and Mejia Paredes allegedly orchestrated the drug pipeline from Central America to rural Vermont.

The investigation centers on an October 2015 package shipped from Guatemala to the address of a Mexican restaurant in Manchester Center. Customs officials discovered more than 40 kilograms (88 pounds) of heroin concealed inside containers labeled as Guatemalan nutritional supplements. Agents from Homeland Security, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Vermont State Police executed a controlled delivery. Mejia Paredes was apprehended at the restaurant as he waited to receive the shipment.

During the sting, wire intercepts revealed Mejia Paredes was in direct telephone contact with Lam Peralta. Court records show Lam Peralta contacted the shipping company twice while Mejia Paredes waited. A cell phone seized from Mejia Paredes at arrest contained messages between the two men discussing the delivery address for the intercepted package and at least one prior shipment.

Investigators uncovered a pattern: seven similar packages, matching the heroin shipment in size, weight, and customs declarations, had been sent from Guatemala to addresses linked to Lam Peralta in the Manchester area in the three months before the October arrest. The volume and consistency suggest a well-organized smuggling operation using commercial shipping channels to infiltrate bulk narcotics into the U.S. Northeast.

Both defendants remain in custody under order of the U.S. Marshal. No trial date has been set. Lam Peralta recently filed multiple motions in U.S. District Court, including a request to sever his case from Mejia Paredes’, suppress post-arrest statements, and reconsider his detention. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Drescher is prosecuting. Lam Peralta is represented by Ernest M. Allen, III, of Burlington; Mejia Paredes by Steven Barth, also of Burlington. The Second Superseding Indictment is an accusation; the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.