Two Men Admit Roles In Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

TRENTON, N.J. – Two men today admitted their respective roles in an international drug trafficking organization, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced.

Wilson Madrid, 31, of Norcross, Georgia, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with conspiracy to launder money. Dany Francisco-Valerio, 44, of Bronx, New York, pleaded guilty before Judge Sheridan to an information charging him with conspiracy to distribute heroin.

According to documents filed in these and other cases and statements made in court:

From June 2014 through November 2014, Madrid conspired with other members of an international drug trafficking organization, with cells operating in New Jersey, to launder more than $150,000 related to the distribution of heroin. In December 2014, Francisco-Valerio conspired with members of the drug trafficking organization to transport and distribute kilogram quantities of heroin. On Dec. 24, 2014, he was arrested while transporting 15 kilograms of heroin contained in a hidden compartment in his vehicle.

One of their conspirators, Henry Zamora, pleaded guilty before Judge Sheridan on Aug. 31, 2017, to conspiring to distribute four kilograms of heroin that were recovered from a hidden compartment in Zamora’s vehicle. Another conspirator, Harry Madrid, pleaded guilty before Judge Sheridan on Sept. 7, 2017, to conspiring to launder more than $150,000 on behalf of the drug trafficking organization.

The money laundering charge to which Madrid pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 30, 2018.

The narcotics charge to which Francisco-Valerio pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 31, 2018.

Acting U.S. Attorney Fitzpatrick credited the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Carl J. Kotowski, officers of the N.J. State Police, under the direction of Superintendent Col. Joseph R. Fuentes, and officers from the DeKalb (Illinois) Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gene Lowrey, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty pleas. 

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas S. Kearney and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamari Buxton of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Organized Crime/Gangs Unit in Newark.

Defense counsel:

Madrid: Mark Davis Esq., Hamilton, New Jersey

Francisco-Valerio John D. Lynch Esq., Jersey City, New Jersey