News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 25, 2005

Webster Man Sentenced On Federal Drug Charges

Worcester, MA... A Webster man was sentenced today in federal court on federal drug offenses.

June W. Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in New England; United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan and William Keefe, Chief of the Webster Police Department, announced today that CANDIDO RODRIGUEZ, a/k/a "Junior", age 30, of 22 Village Way, #7, Webster, Massachusetts, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV to 5 years in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. On February 3, 2005, RODRIGUEZ pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute over 50 grams of cocaine base, and distributing cocaine base on four different occasions. Cocaine base is more commonly known as “crack” cocaine.

At the earlier plea hearing, the prosecutor told the Court that, had the case proceeded to trial, the evidence would have proven that in March and April 2003, RODRIGUEZ conspired with others to distribute over 50 grams of crack cocaine in Webster and in Worcester. During that time period, the DEA’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (“HIDTA”) Task Force made four separate crack cocaine purchases from RODRIGUEZ and a co-conspiring crack cocaine supplier. On each occasion, the drug negotiations occurred at Amigo's Market, located in Webster and the subsequent crack cocaine deals occurred in the Chandler Street area of Worcester. On each occasion, DEA agents were able to witness and record the drug transactions.

RODRIGUEZ has been in federal custody since his arrest on April 14, 2004.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Task Force in Worcester, with the assistance of the Webster and Worcester Police Departments.