I guess when people say some things run in the family, they're not kidding, Berkshire County. However, I would like to believe that there are better ways of following in your father's footsteps.

In the latest drug crime news centering on the western end of the Bay State, the Department of Justice in Boston reports that two men were sentenced yesterday, May 16, for their roles in a major drug trafficking conspiracy.

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According to a media statement from the DOJ in Boston, Isaac Cardona, 34, and Rafael Cardona Sr., 61, were each sentenced to 146 months in prison and five years of supervised release.

The Cardonas were convicted on October 18, 2021, by a federal jury of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine and one kilogram of heroin. Also, Isaac Cardona was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The Department of Justice reports that the Cardonas were indicted in November 2017 as part of a 14-month wiretap investigation into a large-scale drug trafficking organization supplied by sources in Mexico and spanning at least four states.

The father/son duo conspired with co-defendant David Cruz to traffic cocaine and heroin from Mexico, through California, to the Springfield area, and into New England. According to the media statement:

Isaac Cardona owed Cruz money for one kilogram of the cocaine Cruz had distributed to him, and, in order to pay down that debt, the Cardonas and other co-conspirators conspired to import at least one kilogram of heroin (which turned out to be pure fentanyl) from sources in Mexico.

Then, sometime in late August of 2016, Isaac Cardona traveled by car to San Diego, CA, with cash to pay for the heroin. David Cruz later traveled to San Diego to retrieve the car and the cash.

Then, on September 8, 2016, Cruz used the cash to purchase what he believed to be one kilogram of heroin. California law enforcement then seized the vehicle and recovered approximately one kilogram of pure fentanyl.

Earlier in the case, Cruz had pleaded guilty to drugs and firearms offenses. He is scheduled to be sentenced coming up on June 13, 2022. For more on the story, check out the DOJ's media statement here.

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