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Nearly a year after an investigation by FBI and DEA agents out of Passaic County led to his arrest, 45-year-old Ralph “the Milk Man” Mata pleaded guilty in federal court in Newark to conspiring to distribute cocaine, “aiding and abetting a narcotics conspiracy” and depositing money for the illicit organization.
A U.S. District Court judge continued his release on bail pending sentencing on July 14, 2015.
As part of his plea, Mata agreed to forfeit $75,405 seized by federal authorities when he was arrested last April 9.
U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said Mata bought at least six firearms from a gun store in Florida that ended up in the hands of members of the Juan Arias Drug Trafficking Organization.
“Using his prior experience as a lieutenant assigned to the Miami International Airport, as well as his law enforcement contacts at the airport, Mata and others smuggled the six firearms through airport security checkpoints and onto a commercial airliner destined for the Dominican Republic,” Fishman said.
Federal agents recovered several of the weapons, a complaint on file in U.S. District Court in Newark says.
Mata also “provided advice, guidance and counsel to Juan Arias regarding the means and methods the drug trafficking organization should use to import and distribute cocaine,” and also “transported narcotics proceeds for the organization,” the complaint says.
In exchange, he got “cash and a Rolex watch valued at approximately $10,000,” it says.
On March 28, 2013, Fishman said, Mata traveled from Miami to New Jersey and received approximately $60,000 in narcotics proceeds from Juan Arias and others.
Using a portion of that money, Mata made separate $10,000 cash deposits at two different bank locations in Fort Lee, New Jersey, the U.S. attorney said.
The complaint on file in Newark says that Mata also “used sources of information available to him as a law enforcement officer to find out information about the seizure of $419,000 in narcotics proceeds from a Bergen County man, which members of the [organization] suspected had been stolen by another member, but were in fact seized by law enforcement.”
Fishman credited special agents of the FBI’s Garret Mountain Resident Office; the DEA’s Paterson Post of Duty; IRS – Criminal Investigation ouf of Newark; and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations out of New York.
He also thanked the Miami FBI, Miami-Dade Police Department and Miami-Area Corruption Task Force for their assistance.
Representing the government is Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary E. Toscano and José Almonte of Fishman’s Special Prosecutions Division, along with Barbara Ward of the office’s Asset Forfeiture Unit.
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