BOSTON – A Southbridge drug kingpin, Eric Rivera, 33, has pleaded guilty in federal court in Worcester for his role in a major cocaine distribution conspiracy targeting Central Massachusetts.
Rivera, who is scheduled to be sentenced on November 12, 2025, was indicted last November along with two alleged co-conspirators. From April 2023 to April 2024, Rivera orchestrated the shipment of kilograms of cocaine into the region, using local drop addresses and transporting packages to known drug traffickers in Springfield.
The investigation resulted in the seizure of four drug packages containing cocaine, totaling between 15-50 kilograms attributed to Rivera. One package contained three kilograms seized in February 2023. His co-conspirators, Luis Sastre Pagan and Miguel Lopez, have pleaded not guilty and await trial.
Under federal law, the charge of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are determined by a federal district court judge according to U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin Brown of the Worcester Branch Office, with support from the DEA, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). This operation targets high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States with a multi-agency approach.
The details in the charging documents are allegations, and all remaining defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
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Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Cybercrime|Public Corruption|Weapons|Human Trafficking|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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