Saturday, August 01, 2020

Nashua Man Sentenced to 63 Months for Participating in Drug Trafficking Conspiracy in Nashua Area

            CONCORD – George Cruz, 30, of Nashua, was sentenced on Wednesday to 63 months in federal prison for participating in a conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.

             According to court documents and statements made in court, Cruz was a member of a drug trafficking organization that distributed crack cocaine and other drugs to various customers in the Nashua area.  Cruz actively sold drugs to customers for the organization.

             Cruz previously pleaded guilty on December 17, 2019. 

             In addition to Cruz, six defendants in this case have pleaded guilty. Four of the defendants have been sentenced: Donald Johnson was sentenced to 42 months in prison; Melvin Nooks, Jr. was sentenced to 120 months in prison; Marvin Morrison was sentenced to 15 months in prison; and Mallory Nooks received 60 months in prison.  William Greenleaf is scheduled to be sentenced on November 3, 2020 and Isaiah Kinard is scheduled to be sentenced on November 4, 2020. Three other defendants are awaiting trial.

             “This 63-month sentence should serve as a warning to drug dealers operating in the Nashua area,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “Mr. Cruz now follows four of his fellow conspirators to federal prison. A similar fate awaits those who peddle crack cocaine anywhere in the Granite State. We will continue to work with the FBI and all of our law enforcement partners to identify, prosecute, and incarcerate the purveyors of dangerous illegal drugs.”

            “With today’s sentence, George Cruz became the fifth member of this drug trafficking organization to be held accountable for pumping illegal narcotics like crack cocaine into the neighborhoods of Nashua,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Given that the safety and quality of life of our communities are on the line, our Safe Streets Gang Task Force will vigorously work to put drug trafficking rings like this one permanently out of business.”

             This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the New Hampshire State Police, Nashua Police Department, Manchester Police Department, Dover Police Department, and Portsmouth Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Georgiana Konesky and Anna Krasinski.

            This case was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. 

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