Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of Massachusetts

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, February 10, 2022

Springfield Man Sentenced to Prison for Trafficking Cocaine and Money Laundering

BOSTON – A Springfield man was sentenced Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, in federal court in Worcester for his role in a conspiracy to traffic drugs from California to Western Massachusetts and launder the proceeds.

Miguel Betancourt, 54, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to 42 months in prison and three years of supervised release. On Aug. 18, 2021, Betancourt pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to commit money laundering. 

In July, 2016, Betancourt received five kilograms of cocaine from a Mexican drug trafficking organization (DTO) and distributed it in Western Massachusetts. As partial payment for the cocaine, Betancourt engaged in two types of money laundering. First, by providing his source with two vehicles, from the inventory of an auto dealership Betancourt owned, for no payment. Second, Betancourt also helped wire cash from his own drug sales back to the Mexican DTO. 

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. The Drug Enforcement Administration, San Diego Division, Homeland Security Investigations and the Westfield Police Department assisted in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neil L. Desroches and Steven H. Breslow of Rollins’ Springfield Office prosecuted the case.