New Bedford Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Charges

A New Bedford man pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court to conspiring to distribute large amounts of cocaine as well as other drugs.

Jaime Torres, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, 100 grams or more of heroin, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and five grams or more of methamphetamine.

He was charged in December 2019, along with 12 con-defendants.

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The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges that from at least February 2019 through December 2019, Torres conspired with others to distribute large quantities of cocaine. They say investigators interception communications between him and his co-conspirators agreeing to distribution of two kilos of cocaine or more, and that they seized approximately two kilograms of cocaine from Torres’s storage unit, along with 117 grams of a mixture and substance containing heroin, 55 grams of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl and over 43 grams of methamphetamine.

Torres faces at least five years and up to 40 years in prison for each count, along with at least four years of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. He will be sentenced on October 19, 2021.