United States Drug Enforcement Administration

BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced yesterday for selling two kilograms of cocaine and possessing nearly one kilogram of heroin as well as a high-powered rifle in East Boston.

Carlos Acosta Estrella, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 10 years in prison and eight years of supervised release. In September 2022, Estrella pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, one count of possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and one count of possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. Estrella was indicted along with his mother, Ana Guadalupe Acosta Grajeda, in October 2019.

Estrella and Grajeda were arrested after they were videotaped selling two kilograms of cocaine to a cooperating witness in East Boston. A search of Estrella and Grajeda’s apartment in East Boston resulted in the seizure of nearly one kilogram of heroin, an additional kilogram of cocaine, numerous cellphones, a high-powered tactical shotgun with a laser sight and a box of ammunition for the shotgun.

Grajeda was sentenced in June 2022 after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and has since been deported to Mexico.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael A. Cox made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Pohl of Levy’s Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.