Dealer Who Laundered Money in Medford Bank Sentenced

BOSTON – A Chelsea man was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to using UPS and USPS to ship five kilos of cocaine to Massachusetts and Puerto Rico.

In U.S. District Court on Tuesday, Jose Ramirez-Baez, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 43 months in prison and five years of supervised release.

In October 2016, Ramirez-Baez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, two counts of attempted possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, and three counts of money laundering.

From June 2014 to March 2016, Ramirez-Baez shipped large quantities of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Massachusetts via both the United States Postal Service and the United Parcel Services. In December 2015, investigators in Puerto Rico seized two packages bound for Ramirez-Baez that contained five kilograms of cocaine. These packages ultimately led to Ramirez-Baez’s arrest and conviction.

In addition, Ramirez-Baez laundered over $200,000 in cash by depositing drug proceeds into an account bearing the name J&Y Landscaping at a Bank of America in Medford in an effort to conceal the fact that the proceeds were derived from drug trafficking.