Convicted Felon Sentenced For Firearm and Drug Offenses

Press Release

Defendant possessed a loaded firearm and over 200 grams of cocaine while driving impaired

BOSTON - A Haverhill man with multiple prior felony convictions, including manslaughter, was sentenced to 10 years in prison yesterday in federal court in Boston for possessing a loaded firearm and drugs intended for distribution.

Ramon Silvelo-Miles, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 10 years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. In February 2024, Silvelo-Miles pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

In the early morning hours of Sept. 20, 2021, Silvelo-Miles was stopped by law enforcement for driving erratically on Route 24 in West Bridgewater. Field sobriety tests administered on-site indicated that Silvelo-Miles was too impaired to drive. During a subsequent search of his car over 200 grams of cocaine and 9 grams of fentanyl packaged in 51 small, clear plastic bags in a small backpack inside the glove compartment were found. Hidden inside a black sock with the drugs was a Raven Arms MP-25 .25 caliber pistol. The gun was loaded with one bullet in the chamber and five bullets in the magazine. Silvelo-Miles is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to multiple prior felony convictions including a 2014 conviction for manslaughter.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Wyshak, III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Updated August 29, 2024