Heroin Trafficker Sentenced To More Than 7 Years In Federal Prison
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Efrain Arroyo Melendez, aka Frank Feliz Baez, 49, of the Allston section of Boston, Mass., has been sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for trafficking heroin into Providence, R.I., announced Michael J. Ferguson Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England and United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha.
At sentencing on July 22, 2015, U.S. District Court Judge Mary M. Lisi also ordered Melendez to serve five years supervised release upon completion of his prison sentence. Melendez pleaded guilty on March 2, 2015, to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute heroin, and one count of possession and attempt to possess with the intent to distribute heroin.
According to court records and information presented to the court, on January 27, 2014, as a result of a DEA investigation into the alleged trafficking of heroin into Providence, DEA agents, with the assistance of Rhode Island State Police, intercepted a piece of luggage at the Amtrak Station inside of which they discovered approximately 2.3 kilograms of heroin.
After taking the woman who was carrying the luggage, Amalia Martin, 39, of Providence, into custody, agents learned that the package of heroin was to be delivered to Melendez. The next day DEA agents arranged to deliver a package purporting to contain the heroin to Melendez. Melendez was arrested after taking custody of the package from a DEA undercover agent.
Martin, who pleaded guilty on December 18, 2014, to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute heroin, and one count of possession and attempt to possess with the intent to distribute heroin is scheduled to be sentenced on September 15, 2015.
