Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Distributing Heroin

BOSTON – A Dominican national pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to distributing heroin.

Luis Humberto Arias Lara, 41, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of heroin. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for Aug. 9, 2017.

On two occasions in September 2016 and January 2017, Arias Lara distributed heroin to an undercover officer in Waltham.

The charging statute provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, a minimum of three years of supervised release, and a fine of $1 million. Arias Lara will be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney William D. Weinreb and Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division, made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Suburban Middlesex County Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Miranda Hooker and Susan Winkler of Weinreb’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.