CONCORD, NH – Samuel Garcia, 37, and Jennifer Nunez, 26, were given lengthy prison sentences for their roles in a large-scale oxycodone trafficking ring that had operated in Manchester. Garcia was sentenced on April 12 to 188 months (15 years, eight months) in federal prison. On April 11 Nunez was sentenced to 132 months (11 years) in federal prison.
Court documents show that the defendants were arrested after a law enforcement investigation that lasted from 2013 to August of 2014. The investigation included the use of cooperating individuals to purchase oxycodone pills, as well as the use of wiretaps and search warrants. Most of the defendants were arrested on August 27, 2014.
Law enforcement officers made the arrests as Raul Hernandez attempted to deliver over 600 oxycodone pills to the residence of Samuel Garcia and Jennifer Nunez on Eastern Avenue in Manchester. A search warrant was executed at that residence and over 800 additional pills, as well as over $30,000 in cash, and three firearms were recovered from that location. Garcia, Jennifer Nunez, Hernandez, and Johanna Nunez were arrested that day. Another defendant, Jose Nunez was arrested in October of 2014, after returning to the United States from the Dominican Republic.
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Court documents showed that this group was responsible for the distribution of tens of thousands of oxycodone pills in the Manchester area over the course of several years. As part of the investigation, law enforcement officers also identified and prosecuted a New York-based source of supply, Manuel Tirado. Wiretap conversations revealed that Tirado arranged to supply some of the pills that Garcia and his associates were selling. On one occasion, Jose Nunez was stopped in Massachusetts while transporting $18,900 in cash that was to be used to pay for oxycodone pills that were being supplied by Tirado.
As a result of this investigation, over $59,000 in cash, four firearms, a substantial quantity of ammunition, and a Honda Accord were all forfeited civilly.
All of the individuals who were involved in this conspiracy have pleaded guilty.
Samuel Garcia pleaded guilty on March 24, 2015, to: (1) Conspiracy to Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Distribute, a Controlled Substance; (2) Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute; (3) Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments; and (4) Possession of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime. He was sentenced today to serve 188 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He is likely to be deported to the Dominican Republic following his release from prison.
Jennifer Nunez, 26, pleaded guilty on March 24, 2015, to: (1) Conspiracy to Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Distribute, a Controlled Substance; (2) Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute; (3) Distribution of a Controlled Substance; and (4) Possession of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime. On April 11, 2017, she was sentenced to serve 132 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Jose Nunez, 61, pleaded guilty on March 6, 2015, to: (1) Conspiracy to Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Distribute, a Controlled Substance; (2) four counts of Distribution of a Controlled Substance; (3) Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments; and (4) Possession of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c). On January 31, 2017, he was sentenced to serve eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Johanna Nunez, 30, pleaded guilty on March 24, 2015, to: (1) Conspiracy to Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Distribute, a Controlled Substance; and (2) four counts of Distribution of a Controlled Substance. On June 23, 2015, she was sentenced to 51 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Raul Hernandez, 29, pleaded guilty on March 17, 2015, to: (1) Conspiracy to Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Distribute, a Controlled Substance and (2) Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute. On June 23, 2015, he was sentenced to 48 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
An additional defendant, Edward Anthony Hiciano Beltre, is a fugitive.
Tirado (34) pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy and failure to appear charges on August 23, 2016. On January 14, 2017, he was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He is likely to be deported to the Dominican Republic after he is released from prison.
In addition to these defendants, several additional individuals who obtained oxycodone from this organization and resold it to customers have pleaded guilty to charges related to their roles in the scheme. Ryan Demers, William Alba, Bonnie Labrie, Krystal Mailhot, and Yonajaira Galarza Ramos have all entered guilty pleas in federal court.
Demers was sentenced on September 22, 2015, to 57 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. That sentence was affirmed on appeal by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Alba was sentenced on June 17, 2016, to 72 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Labrie was sentenced on March 11, 2016, to 72 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Ramos was sentenced on March 16, 2017, to three years of probation after successfully completing the federal court’s LASER (Law Abidiing Sober Employed Responsible) Program.
Mailhot is awaiting sentencing.
“The DEA is committed to investigating and bringing to justice those who illicitly distribute oxycodone,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Ferguson. “Opiate abuse is a major problem in New Hampshire and throughout New England. The diversion of prescription pain killers, in this case oxycodone, contributes to the widespread abuse of opiates, is the gateway to heroin and fentanyl addiction, and is devastating our communities. This investigation demonstrates the strength of collaborative law enforcement efforts in New Hampshire and our strong partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to aggressively pursue any group or individual that traffics these drugs.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Farley said, “Many individuals begin their journey to heroin or fentanyl addiction through oxycodone use. While these pills have a legitimate medical use, the illicit distribution of these potentially addictive drugs has played a significant role in damaging our community. The defendants in this case were responsible for the distribution of tens of thousands of pills, feeding the opioid crisis in New Hampshire. This important prosecution was a product of the cooperation of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. I especially want to commend the Manchester Police Department and the DEA for their cooperation in this matter. The U.S. Attorney’s office will continue to work with the law enforcement community to stop the flow of these drugs onto the streets of New Hampshire. This includes working aggressively to identify and prosecute those who distribute these dangerous drugs.”
This investigation was the product of an investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. This particular investigation involved cooperative efforts of federal and local law enforcement entities, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Manchester Police Department, the New Hampshire State Police, the Massachusetts State Police, and the Hillsborough County Attorney’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley and Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra M. Walsh.
