Malden Man Sentenced for Crack Cocaine and Firearms Offenses

BOSTON – A Malden man was sentenced yesterday in connection with possessing 100 grams of crack cocaine for distribution and numerous firearms.

Alberto Junior Lopez, 27, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Mark Wolf to five years in prison and five years of supervised release. On June 10, 2020, Lopez pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base (crack cocaine) and one count of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.   

This case arose from a search of the Lopez’s Malden residence in November 2018 pertaining to a September 2018 drive-by shooting in Revere in which he was a suspect. The search resulted in the recovery of numerous firearms including a Colt .45 automatic firearm with an obliterated serial number, a Glock .45 automatic firearm, two loaded Glock magazines, numerous rounds of other ammunition and a bag containing about 94 grams of crack cocaine and more than $3,000 in cash, among other items.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Division, made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Malden and Revere Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.