Leonardo Franco, Cocaine Trafficking, Massachusetts 2017

BOSTON – In a shocking turn of events, a Colombian man has plead guilty to serious drug charges in a Massachusetts federal court.

Leonardo Franco, 45, a Colombian national who resides in Worcester, Massachusetts, plead guilty to one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and one count of illegal re-entry of a deported alien.

According to court documents, Franco was traveling to Oxford, Massachusetts, on November 3, 2016, with the intent of selling cocaine to another individual. Law enforcement officials confronted Franco and found him in possession of more than a half-pound of cocaine contained in several clear baggies.

This is not Franco’s first run-in with the law. Franco was previously convicted of illegal re-entry of a deported alien in 2011 and was subsequently deported from the United States. He had previously been removed from the United States on three other occasions, including twice in 2010.

As a result of his guilty plea, Franco is facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the cocaine trafficking charge and a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for the illegal re-entry charge. He is also subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence.

The charging statutes for these crimes provide for significant penalties, including a fine of up to $1 million for the cocaine trafficking charge and a fine of up to $250,000 for the illegal re-entry charge. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.

Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb, Michael Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division, and Matthew Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney William F. Abely of Weinreb’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for August 4, 2017.

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