NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A Massachusetts man was convicted of drug trafficking for his role in a scheme that involved the shipment of more than 1,700 pounds of cocaine to Yonkers and the Bronx, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Abel Montilla, 49, of Springfield, was a member of a drug trafficking organization that would conceal cocaine inside of custom-built furniture to ship from Puerto Rico to the continental United States, officials said.
From about Sept. 2018 to June 2019, the group concealed hundred-kilogram quantities of cocaine in about 70 custom cube-shaped coffee tables and other furniture, according to court documents.
The organization shipped about 4,000 kilos of cocaine, worth at least $120 million on the street. Eight of the shipments were sent to addresses in New York, including Yonkers and the Bronx, the total of which was about 1,704 pounds.
Montilla’s role in the scheme was to manage the recipients of the organization’s deliveries of cocaine shipments and the distribution of the cocaine concealed inside the furniture. Many times, Montilla drove straight through the night from Massachusetts to Florida to be present for a cocaine delivery. He’d then drive or fly back to Massachusetts to handle more deliveries.
“The unanimous jury verdict holds Abel Montilla accountable for his role in a widespread cocaine trafficking organization that flooded the streets with four tons of cocaine,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said. “Montilla was a coordinator of the drug trafficking organization who traveled around the country to manage the delivery of the organization’s cocaine-filled furniture. He now faces the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence for his crime.”
A jury found Montilla guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute narcotics. He faces life in prison with a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Related
Related
Related
