Cape Cod Man Sentenced for Heroin Trafficking

BOSTON – An Osterville man was sentenced yesterday to five and a half years in prison and six years of probation for his role in a wide-ranging heroin trafficking conspiracy.

The U.S. Attorney's Office stated that Eric Brando, 29, got the sentence in federal court after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin in February 2020.

Brando is one of 11 people in a Cape Cod drug trafficking organization who were arrested and charged with various drug distribution offenses in May 2019.

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He and his co-defendants are accused of distributing heroin throughout Cape Cod and Rhode Island.

Court documents show that authorities began investigating the organization, led by co-defendant Edwin Otero, in 2019.

Otero, Brando, and the others allegedly sold large quantities of heroin throughout Cape Cod, including Hyannis, Mashpee, Centerville and Osterville, and in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, messages on Otero’s phone helped identify Brando as a drug trafficker supplied by Otero.

The investigation also revealed that members of Otero's crew shot at a customer over an unpaid debt, and videotaped themselves beating another man they wrongly believed had given information to the police.

Brando is the first defendant to be sentenced in the case and the fourth to plead guilty.

His charges could carry a sentence of up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release and a $5 million fine.

The other seven defendants have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.