A Fitchburg man has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for his involvement in a fentanyl and cocaine trafficking conspiracy. Jose Mercado Aponte, 31, received the sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman in Worcester federal court. His sentence includes three years of supervised release following imprisonment.
Mercado Aponte had pleaded guilty in October 2024 to charges including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, distribution of and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, as well as five counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
The investigation revealed that between April 2023 and November 13, 2023, Mercado Aponte conspired with others, including Hector Soto Gonzalez, to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. He met a cooperating witness on at least seven occasions in Worcester and Leominster, Massachusetts, exchanging drugs for money. During some meetings, Mercado Aponte also discussed selling a firearm.
On November 13, 2023, Mercado Aponte arranged a deal to sell a kilogram of fentanyl to the cooperating witness. Communication between Mercado Aponte and Soto Gonzalez facilitated the transaction. Law enforcement observed Soto Gonzalez leaving his Hartford residence with an item placed in his trunk before traveling to Massachusetts where he was stopped by police. Approximately one kilogram of fentanyl was recovered from his vehicle.
Soto Gonzalez is scheduled for a plea change on January 16, 2024.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen of the FBI Boston Division; Colonel Geoffrey Noble of the Massachusetts State Police; and Commissioner Shawn Jenkins of the Massachusetts Department of Correction. Assistance came from various law enforcement agencies including the FBI New Haven Division and several local police departments across Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Mackenzie Duane is prosecuting this case as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations through coordinated efforts.