A Puerto Rico resident has admitted guilt in a federal court in Concord for his involvement in a conspiracy to traffic cocaine to New Hampshire using the United States Postal Service. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack.
Joshua Baez Core, aged 26, entered a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. His sentencing is set for June 9, 2025, by U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante. Baez Core was indicted on December 20, 2023, alongside five other individuals, with two co-conspirators already convicted.
Court documents and statements reveal that Baez Core participated in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for shipping cocaine from Puerto Rico to Manchester, New Hampshire. Operating from Puerto Rico, he used fake sender details to mail cocaine packages to Manchester under the direction of his father, who led the DTO. The drugs were concealed within children's games and sent in bundles weighing either 500 grams or 1,000 grams. After dispatching each package, Baez Core would send tracking information to his father. His father then arranged for co-conspirators to monitor and collect the packages at various Manchester addresses. Additionally, his father sent him suspected drug proceeds; one parcel contained $11,000. Between September 2020 and December 2021, over 5.6 kilograms of cocaine were shipped from Puerto Rico to Manchester for redistribution.
The charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a minimum of three years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $1 million. Sentencing decisions are made by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes.
The investigation was spearheaded by the United States Postal Inspection Service with significant support from the Manchester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Gingrande is handling the prosecution.