A Cape Cod resident was handed a prison sentence exceeding half a decade for a spate of drug offenses, particularly related to deadly substances such as fentanyl and its analogues, along with cocaine. Terrance Cardoza, a 28-year-old from Mashpee, will serve 78 months behind bars, followed by a four-year stint of supervised release, U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani decreed.
The conviction and subsequent sentencing of Cardoza come after a guilty plea entered in July, acknowledging his role in distributing considerable quantities of narcotics. The U.S. Attorney's Office reports that his charges included one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, two counts for distribution and possession of 10 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue, and one count for intended distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine.
Throughout 2023, on several instances in June, July, September, and November, Cardoza engaged with a confidential source in sales transactions of these narcotics within the Falmouth and East Falmouth areas. It came to a head in January, when law enforcement officers arrested Cardoza, discovering approximately 758 grams of cocaine in his vehicle—a stark elucidation of the scale of his operation.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy, alongside Acting Special Agent in Charge Stephen Belleau from the Drug Enforcement Administration New England Field Division, announced these developments today. The Falmouth, Mashpee, and Yarmouth Police Departments have been recognized for their critical participation in the case which was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Mackenzie Duane of an the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit.
The case against Cardoza was part of a broader crackdown by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), a joint program dedicated to dismantling high-level criminal syndicates that pose a threat to public safety across the nation. The collaborative, multi-agency, intelligence-driven efforts of OCDETF underscore its pivotal role in the ongoing battle against drug trafficking and associated crime.
