A Colombian national has been sentenced in Boston federal court for his involvement in a cocaine distribution conspiracy. Juan Restrepo-Madrid, 39, who previously lived unlawfully in Everett, received a sentence of 34 months in prison from U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns.
Restrepo-Madrid pleaded guilty in August 2025 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, as well as one count of cocaine distribution. He was initially arrested and charged in February 2020 alongside co-conspirator Sebastian Arbelaez-Perez.
The case began in August 2019 when a cooperating witness arranged a meeting with Restrepo-Madrid and Arbelaez to discuss the purchase of cocaine. At the meeting on August 9, 2019, only Restrepo-Madrid appeared and provided the witness with half a kilogram of cocaine.
After his arrest in February 2020, Restrepo-Madrid was released pending trial but absconded to Colombia before his scheduled change of plea hearing in early 2021, violating his release conditions. Authorities arrested him in Colombia in June 2023, and he was extradited back to the United States in June 2025.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF focuses on identifying and dismantling high-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States through coordinated efforts by multiple agencies led by prosecutors. More information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Field Division; and Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston announced the sentencing. Several law enforcement agencies contributed to the investigation, including local police departments, Massachusetts State Police, Massachusetts National Guard, U.S. Marshals Service for the District of Massachusetts, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement Removal Operations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren A. Graber and Jared C. Dolan prosecuted the case.
