News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 13, 2002

Springfield Man Pleads Guilty To Cocaine Trafficking

Springfield, MA…. A Springfield man was convicted late yesterday in federal court of distributing cocaine and crack cocaine.

Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division, United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan, announced that BERNIE RUIZ, age 35, of Springfield, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor to two counts of distributing cocaine and one count of distributing crack cocaine

At yesterday's plea hearing, the prosecutor told the Court that had the case proceeded to trial the Government's evidence would have proven that on three occasions in February and March of 2002 RUIZ sold a cooperating witness a total of 67.8 grams of cocaine and 52.7 grams of crack cocaine.

Judge Posner scheduled sentencing for March 6, 2003. RUIZ faces up to life in prison, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Springfield Task Force.