Massachusetts man previously convicted twice in federal court, sentenced for conspiring to distribute 9 kilos of cocaine

BOSTON – A Massachusetts man was sentenced in federal court in Boston for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 45-year-old Leonardo Lara was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In October 2025, Lara was convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances (involving five kilograms or more of cocaine). In August 2023, Lara was indicted by a federal grand jury along with co-conspirators Merced Navarro Morfin and Leandro Martinez.

In April 2022, an investigation revealed that Lara was in possession of $230,000 in drug proceeds that he sought to send to Mexico. On April 20, 2022, Lara was stopped on Interstate-84 in Sturbridge and approximately $40,000 in drug proceeds were found hidden in baby-wipe containers in the trunk. Lara was released from the traffic stop and promptly contacted his co-conspirators. Approximately 36 minutes after the traffic stop concluded, Martinez and Navarro Morfin were observed travelling to Lara’s residence in Methuen and removing eight kilograms of cocaine. Another kilogram of cocaine, and approximately $196,000 in bundled cash, were found in the car that Martinez and Navarro Morfin drove to Lara’s house.

According to court records, Lara was previously convicted twice in federal court in Boston. In 2004, Lara was convicted of bank larceny and was sentenced to probation. In 2017, Lara was convicted of money laundering, transactions in criminally derived funds and theft of government funds and was sentenced to 15 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

In November 2025, Navarro Morfin was sentenced to four years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In May 2025, Martinez was sentenced to 23 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

United States Attorney Leah Foley and Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Samuel R. Feldman and Sandra Gonzalez Sanchez of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion.