Miguel Lopez, a 28-year-old resident of Southbridge, was sentenced on April 9 to six years in prison and five years of supervised release for his involvement in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy and unlawful possession of a machinegun. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman handed down the sentence after Lopez pleaded guilty in December 2025 to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and unlawful possession of a machine gun.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to combat drug trafficking operations that bring controlled substances into Massachusetts from outside the state. According to court documents, Lopez conspired with others between April 2023 and April 2024 to distribute cocaine shipped from Puerto Rico. Authorities observed Lopez collecting packages suspected of containing drugs on at least four occasions during this period.
On January 29, 2024, officials seized a package addressed to Lopez that contained one kilogram of cocaine hidden inside. A subsequent search at his residence in April 2024 led investigators to discover approximately two kilograms more cocaine concealed within another recently delivered package. Law enforcement also found a Glock pistol equipped with a machinegun conversion device, ammunition, as well as high-capacity magazines including both a 30-round magazine and a 50-round drum magazine.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Field Division; and Jason Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division announced the sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin Brown prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People Against Invasion—a program aimed at dismantling criminal cartels and transnational organizations operating domestically or abroad through interagency collaboration.