Man Gets Prison For Role In Central Mass. Cocaine Conspiracy

WORCESTER, MA — A Worcester man will go to federal prison for 3-1/2 years for his role in a cocaine trafficking ring that moved drugs into Central Massachusetts, according to federal prosecutors.

Japhet Garcia, 33, was sentenced on Tuesday at U.S. District Court in Boston. He was arrested in January 2018 after Drug Enforcement Agency agents and local police got a tip about possible drug trafficking involving a man named Deibby Garcia, who is set to be sentenced in November.

In December 2017, investigators were alerted to a shipment of cocaine headed to a home in Worcester along Pleasant Valley Drive. U.S. Post Office investigators were able to intercept the package. They also found surveillance video of Japhet Garcia trying to pick up a package of cocaine at the main Worcester post office, according to court documents.

In January 2018, agents tracked another shipment of cocaine sent from Puerto Rico to two addresses in Marlborough along Grace Circle and Centrina Drive, according to court documents. Federal agents allowed the Centrina Drive package to be delivered under surveillance. After it was delivered on Jan. 16, agents swooped in and arrested Japhet Garcia in Worcester. A few minutes later, they arrested Deibby Garcia at a Pizza Hut in Marlborough.

Japhet Garcia was arrested for trying to traffic over 20 kilograms of cocaine, but agents believe the trafficking ring was attempting to bring more than 500 kilograms into the region. Deibby Garcia will be sentenced on Nov. 1.