Ricardo Lopera-Arteaga, Cocaine Trafficking, Massachusetts 2020

BOSTON — A kilo of cocaine, a sting operation, and a deported foreign national back on U.S. soil — the pieces of a federal drug case snapped shut today as Ricardo Lopera-Arteaga, 58, a Colombian national, pleaded guilty in federal court to trafficking cocaine and illegally reentering the United States after deportation.

Lopera-Arteaga admitted to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, one count of actual possession with intent to distribute that same amount, and one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV set sentencing for Dec. 10, 2020. Lopera-Arteaga has been locked up since his arrest on Oct. 9, 2019, alongside co-defendant Diego Sanchez, 34, who pleaded guilty to similar charges on May 15, 2020.

The two men conspired to sell one kilogram of cocaine to a cooperating witness in East Boston in October 2019. Sanchez had already moved product in two earlier deals — selling cocaine on Sept. 10 and Sept. 27, 2019, at the same location. On the day of the final sting, surveillance footage showed Lopera-Arteaga and Sanchez walking together toward the arranged handoff point. Minutes later, federal agents moved in, arresting both and seizing the full kilogram from Lopera-Arteaga.

Federal law hits hard on bulk cocaine offenses. The charges of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine carry a mandatory minimum of five years, up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5 million. The unlawful reentry charge adds another potential 20 years behind bars, three years supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Lopera-Arteaga will face deportation once any sentence is served.

The takedown was the result of a coordinated multi-agency push under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a federal initiative aimed at dismantling major drug, weapons, and money laundering rings fueling the nation’s drug trade. The program links federal, state, and local law enforcement to target high-level traffickers, not street-level dealers.

The announcement was made today by United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner William Gross. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen W. Hassink of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.

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