A Boston man, identified as Francis Jose Perez-Baez, has been handed a 10-year sentence for his involvement in an extensive drug trafficking operation that spanned across the United States. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman delivered the sentence in federal court in Worcester, following Perez-Baez's guilty plea in December 2023. The charges included conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute substantial quantities of cocaine and fentanyl.
At 41 years old, Perez-Baez was implicated as a key player within the drug distribution network. Documents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office reveal the operation's connection to a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization known to effectively use commercial semi-trucks for dispersing cocaine throughout the country, including into Massachusetts. Over the course of their investigation, authorities traced nearly $280,000 in drug proceeds that Perez-Baez paid to this empire of illegality for cocaine supplied on credit.
The case against Perez-Baez unfolded over several months, with charges being filed in November 2021. His sentencing also encompasses five years of supervised release post-incarceration. The allegations to which Perez-Baez conceded included crimes of distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute over five kilograms of cocaine, along with specific instances involving large sums of fentanyl, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office press release.
During the investigation period, Perez-Baez was caught selling over 700 grams of fentanyl in separate transactions to a cooperating witness. These transactions occurred in August 2020 and April 2021. The Department of Justice announced the sentence yesterday, acknowledging the collaborative efforts of the FBI's Boston Division and the Massachusetts State Police, alongside the Drug Enforcement Administration's Laredo and Dallas Divisions.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alathea Porter from the Criminal Division prosecuted the case against Perez-Baez. This prosecution is part of a concerted effort by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), which aims to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the workings of top-tier criminal organizations posing threats to national security and public safety. The OCDETF employs a strategy that is prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven, involving multiple agencies cooperating closely to achieve its mission.
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