BOSTON – A Dominican national recently residing in Lawrence pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to her role in a cocaine distribution conspiracy.
Michel Saredi-Munoz Morta, 21, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock scheduled sentencing for April 14, 2022. Morta was charged on Nov. 16, 2021.
In or about August 2020, several Priority Mail packages sent to addresses in Lawrence were identified by law enforcement as parcels suspected to contain illegal narcotics.
Surveillance of the addresses captured a woman, later identified as Morta, collect the packages shortly after delivery at each location. Morta was subsequently arrested. The packages were found to contain over 500 grams of cocaine.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $5 million. Morta will be subject to deportation upon completion of her sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement today. The Lawrence Police Department provided valuable assistance in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel R. Feldman and Leah B. Foley of Mendell’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.