New Bedford Woman Sentenced for Role in Drug Ring

BOSTON – A New Bedford woman was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with operating a drug trafficking ring in southeastern Massachusetts.

Chindy Diaz, 39, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel to three years in prison and five years of supervised release.  In October 2016, Diaz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

From 2014 to 2016, Diaz and nine co-defendants were members or associates of a drug trafficking organization headed by Luis Lopez that imported at least 50 to100 kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Massachusetts and distributed it in New Bedford and Fall River. Diaz received cocaine-filled packages for Lopez and coordinated money deliveries to Puerto Rico on Lopez’s behalf in order to purchase additional cocaine.

All 10 defendants charged in connection with this case have pleaded guilty and nine have been sentenced, including Lopez, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in January 2017.

United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Bristol County District Thomas M. Quinn; Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; Joel P. Garland, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; Shelly Binkowski, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Fall River Police Acting Chief Albert Dupere; New Bedford Police Chief Joseph C. Cordeiro; Fairhaven Police Chief Michael Myers; and Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson made the announcement today.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Rosen, of Weinreb’s Criminal Division, is prosecuting the cases.

-U.S. Attorney's Office