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According to the US Attorney's Office, Isaac Cardona, age 34, and Rafael Cardona Sr., age 61, both of Springfield, were convicted on Monday, Oct. 18, following a nine-day trial of conspiracy to distribute to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine and one kilogram of heroin.
Isaac Cardona was also convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The Cardona's 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 Cardona's conspired with co-defendant David Cruz to traffic cocaine and heroin from Mexico, through California, to the Springfield area, and into New England, the US Attorney's Office said.
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 Cardona's and other co-conspirators conspired to import at least one kilogram of heroin (which turned out to be pure fentanyl) from sources in Mexico.
In late August 2016, Isaac Cardona traveled by car to San Diego, California, with cash to pay for the heroin.
Cruz later traveled to San Diego, retrieved the car and the cash, and, on Sept. 8, 2016, used the cash to purchase what he believed to be one kilogram of heroin.
Law enforcement in California seized the vehicle and recovered approximately one kilogram of pure fentanyl.
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