A Mexican national identified as a member of a Tijuana-based Sinaloa Cartel cell has been sentenced in Boston for his involvement in drug trafficking and money laundering activities. Eber Alain Estrada Palafox, also known as “Doctor,” received a 63-month prison sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs, followed by two years of supervised release. Upon completion of his sentence, Palafox will be subject to deportation.
Palafox pleaded guilty in June 2025 to charges that included conspiracy to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to distribute heroin, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to court documents, he worked with individuals based in Massachusetts to traffic cocaine and heroin from Mexico through California into New England over a period of two years.
Authorities reported that the group also attempted to import at least one kilogram of heroin from Mexico, which was later determined to be pure fentanyl. Palafox further admitted that he used State Line Auto Sales, LLC, an auto dealership located in Enfield, Connecticut and operated by a co-conspirator, as part of the money laundering scheme by wiring drug proceeds to his mother in Mexico.
“United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Merck of the Springfield Office prosecuted the case.”
