SPRINGFIELD MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO DISTRIBUTING COCAINE BASE AND HEROIN

Springfield, MA... A Springfield man was convicted today in federal court of distribution of cocaine base and distribution of heroin.

United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan and Kenneth Kaiser, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in New England, Edward A. Flynn, Springfield Police Commissioner, and Anthony Scott, Chief of the Holyoke Police, announced today that ENRIGUE GONZALEZ, age 29, of 98 Long Hill Street in Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor to one count of distribution of cocaine base in the form of crack cocaine and one count of distribution of heroin.

At today’s plea hearing, the prosecutor told the Court that had the case proceeded to trial the Government’s evidence would have proven that GONZALEZ sold crack cocaine to an FBI cooperating witness on October 25, 2004.

Judge Ponsor scheduled sentencing for July 14, 2006. GONZALEZ faces a five year minimum term and up to 40 years imprisonment, to be followed by 4 years of supervised release, and a $1 million dollar fine.

The case was investigated by the FBI Western Massachusetts Gang Task Force which is comprised of FBI agents, Springfield Police officers, Holyoke Police Officers, and Massachusetts State Police troopers. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hart Smyth of Sullivan’s Springfield Branch Office Unit.

Press Contact: Christina DiIorio-Sterling 617-748-3356.