Date: June 5, 2025
Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov
BOSTON — A Mexican man, and member of a Tijuana-based Sinaloa Cartel cell, pleaded guilty yesterday to his role in a cocaine and money laundering conspiracy.
Eber Alain Estrada Palafox, also known as “Doctor,” pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for Sept. 4, 2025.
Palafox conspired with a ring of Massachusetts-based individuals to traffic cocaine and heroin from Mexico, through California, to Massachusetts and into New England over a two-year period. Palafox and his co-conspirators also conspired to import at least one kilogram of heroin (which turned out to be pure fentanyl) from sources in Mexico. Palafox also admitted to conspiring to use a co-conspirator’s auto dealership, State Line Auto Sales, LLC, in Enfield, Connecticut, to commit money laundering by wiring drug proceeds to his mother in Mexico.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute cocaine provides for a sentence of no less than 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10,000,000. The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000. The defendant is subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of an imposed sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley, Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston, and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Merck of the Springfield Office is prosecuting the case.
IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. IRS-CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a 90% federal conviction rate. The agency has 19 field offices located across the U.S. and 14 attaché posts abroad.