FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2009
WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/MA
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CHARLTON MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO FOUR KILOGRAMS OF COCAINE
BOSTON, MA - A Charlton man was convicted today in federal court of bringing four kilograms of cocaine to Worcester for sale to drug traffickers.
Acting United States Attorney Michael K. Loucks, Steven W. Derr, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division, Chief Gary J. Gemme of the Worcester Police Department, and Colonel Mark F. Delaney, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, announced today that MATTHEW KEVIN LEONARD, age 29, of Charlton, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV to Conspiracy to Distribute over 500 grams of Cocaine and Possession with Intent to Distribute over 500 Grams of Cocaine.
At today’s plea hearing, the prosecutor told the Court that had the case proceeded to trial the Government’s evidence would have proven that LEONARD’S co-defendants Alexander Sanchez, Jean Colon and Eric Gonzalez agreed to sell five kilograms of cocaine to an undercover DEA agent who posed as a drug buyer. The sale was to occur in two installments of three kilograms and two kilograms. In connection with the first installment, surveillance agents who were outside 33 Coral Street in Worcester, a location at which agents believed the deal might occur, saw LEONARD arrive in a rental car and enter 33 Coral Street carrying two pizza boxes. Moments later, a police informant inside the building advised agents that the pizza boxes LEONARD carried in contained three kilograms of cocaine. Agents from DEA, the Worcester Police Department Gang Unit and Troopers from the Massachusetts State Police secured the apartment and recovered the cocaine. After the arrests, agents searched the rental car LEONARD had driven and recovered a fourth kilogram of cocaine from the trunk. LEONARD was arrested along with his co-defendants.
Judge Saylor scheduled sentencing for January 26, 2009. LEONARD faces up to 40 years imprisonment, to be followed by 4 years of supervised release, and a $ 2 million fine.
The case was investigated by the DEA’s Worcester High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Hennessy of Loucks’ Worcester Branch Office.
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