News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 17, 2002

COLOMBIAN ECSTASY DEALER SENTENCED TO FOURTEEN YEARS

Boston, MA. A Colombian national living in Brighton, Massachusetts was sentenced late yesterday in federal court for trafficking in ecstasy and for brandishing a firearm while trying to collect a drug debt.

Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division and United States attorney Michael J. Sullivan, announced that ANDRES ARANGO JARAMILLO, age 28 of 80 Gardner Street, Brighton, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns to over 14 years imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. JARAMILLO pleaded guilty on April 26, 2002 to conspiring to possess ecstasy with intent to distribute and brandishing a firearm during or in relation to a drug trafficking offense.

At the earlier plea hearing, the prosecutor told the Court that had the case proceeded to trial the Government's evidence would have proven that, during July 2001, JARAMILLO purchased and sold 20,000 hits of ecstasy, which he purchased in New York from foreign sources and transported to Boston for sale. The evidence would also have proved that, on August 17, 2001 JARAMILLO was attempting to collect a debt of more than $30,000 from a co-conspirator. During that meeting, JARAMILLO pulled out a 9mm semi-automatic pistol cocked the gun, and pointed it at the co-conspirator, saying to the effect that people were killed for less in Colombia, and insisted on getting thousands of dollars immediately.

JARAMILLO has been in federal custody since the time of his arrest on August 21, 2001.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel E. Hershfang and John A. Wortmann, Jr.

Please direct any inquiries to Special Agent Anthony J. Pettigrew, Public Information Officer, New England Field Division at 617-557-2138