A mother and daughter hailing from the Bronx, New York, who prosecutors say set up a drug-dealing operation in Central Vermont, including buying a home in Morrisville as a base, have been sentenced to jail time on federal drug charges.
And, according to federal prosecutors, the home the two paid $85,000 for with proceeds from drug dealing has been forfeited to the federal government.
Esperanza Delarosa, 52, and her daughter Susan Mateo, 28, were both sentenced in federal court in Burlington on charges of conspiring to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and oxycodone, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Vermont said in a release.
Judge Christina Reiss sentenced Delarosa on Thursday to 69 months, or almost six years in prison, followed by four years of supervised release, according to the release. Prosecutors had been seeking nearly twice that prison term.
Earlier this month, Reiss sentenced Mateo to six months behind bars followed by three years of supervised release, the release stated.
In addition, the judge ordered that Mateo’s home in Morrisville, which prosecutors say was “the proceeds of, and directly facilitated, the defendants’ unlawful distribution of controlled substances,” be forfeited to the federal government.
Also, according to court records, Delarosa and Mateo agreed to forfeit to the federal government a 2011 Ford Escape Limited, $8,626 in money from their bank accounts, and $3,258 in cash seized from Delarosa.
The mother and daughter were arrested on Jan. 23, 2018, court records stated, on charges of conspiracy to distribute heroin, fentanyl and oxycodone.
With the assistance in the investigation from confidential informants, law enforcement purchased suspected oxycodone and heroin from both Mateo and Delarosa, court records stated. Later lab testing revealed the heroin was laced with fentanyl.
As part of the drug dealing operation, the release stated, Delarosa required people to deposit funds in a bank account rather than provided her with the cash.
The investigation also showed that on Sept. 21, 2017, Mateo paid a $10,000 deposit to a foreclosure auctioneer for the right to buy a house on Randolph Road in Morrisville, according to the release, with Delarosa later paying $75,000 more to complete the purchase.
Delarosa was described by prosecutors as the organizer and leader of the operation.
Attorney Maryanne Kampmann, who represented Mateo, declined comment Thursday. Brooks McArthur, a lawyer representing Delarosa, could not immediately be reached Thursday for comment.
U.S. Attorney for Vermont Christina Nolan said in a statement the case highlighted the cooperation between the many law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Mother, daughter in Morrisville drug operation heading to prison.