Crime

25 arrested in major drug bust in Mass. and RI, prosecutors say

Federal prosecutors said 25 people in eastern Mass. and Rhode Island allegedly ran a 'large-scale drug dispatch service' that processed more than $20,000 worth of drugs a day.

December 8, 2024

3 minutes to read

Twenty-five people have been charged in connection with a large drug trafficking conspiracy that spanned Massachusetts and Rhode Island, federal prosecutors said on Friday.

Investigators seized more than 2.3 kilograms of fentanyl, 12 kilograms of suspected fentanyl and cocaine, 300 grams of cocaine, six firearms and approximately $400,000, United States Attorney Joshua Levy’s office said in a statement.

Court records show an investigation into what prosecutors called a “large-scale drug dispatch service” started in March of 2022. The drug ring operated in and around Boston, records show. Undercover drug purchases and “intercepted communications” found that the 25 suspects allegedly were distributing illegal drugs in eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, prosecutors said.

Levy called the investigation and subsequent charges a “takedown” that eliminated a “sophisticated and large-scale drug trafficking organization.”

“We allege that these defendants exploited addiction for personal profit and with full knowledge of that the drugs they were peddling could be lethal,” Levy said in the statement. “They allegedly raked in $20,000 a day at the expense of the lives and safety of people suffering from drug addiction.”

He said his office is “committed” to finding drug traffickers and disrupting criminal enterprises.

Leominster suspect allegedly ran ‘large-scale’ drug ring

Prosecutors named Yulial Cuello-Reynoso of Leominster as the alleged organizer of the drug ring. Cuello-Reynoso allegedly collected drug orders via telephone and employed distributors and operators to store and distribute the drugs, according to the statement.

The organization allegedly had a color-coding system to distinguish which drug was which, court documents say. Distributors allegedly sold the substances in socks stashed in engine compartments of their cars.

Prosecutors said some of the 25 defendants “openly discussed” the dangers of cocaine and fentanyl. One defendant, Denly Soto-Tejeda, of Manchester, New Hampshire, said “Those people like the stuff that kills them” in an intercepted call, Levy’s office said.

“Those who distribute these drugs are endangering the safety of the citizens of Massachusetts,” Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division said. “The DEA will continue to work each day alongside our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those who are responsible for distributing deadly drugs in order to profit while endangering the lives of others.”

Prosecutors name 19 defendants in drug trafficking case, say 6 are still on the run

Levy’s office listed 19 of the suspects in the statement, all charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. However, prosecutors said the remaining six are at large and their names remain under seal.

Yulial Cueo-Reynoso a/k/a “Sonny,” 33, of Leominster;
Yordania Abel Rivera a/k/a “Mommy,” 33, of Leominster;
Jorge Vizcaino Vizcaino a/k/a Yeison Vizcaino Vizcaino a/k/a “Jason” a/k/a “Libreta” a/k/a Yeikel Perez-Tejeda, 24, of Boston;
Rafael Concepcion a/k/a “Menor,” 34, of Boston;
Alinson Joel Ortiz Arias, 32, of Boston;
Axel Brea Baez, 25, of Boston;
Denly Soto-Tejeda, 25, of Manchester, N.H.;
Yeiron Vizcaino Vizcaino a/k/a “Boli,” 28, of Boston;
Alberto Gonzalez, 36, of Boston;
Luis Guerrero, 25, of Lawrence;
Mariela Cuello Reynoso, 30, of Boston;
Elisbania Tejeda-Soto a/k/a “Lisbania,” 25, of Boston;
Rubert Adrian Jimenez a/k/a “Soga,” 24, of Boston;
Adrian Suncar-Gonzalez, 38, of Boston;
Johangel Mejia-Hernandez, 22, of Boston;
Francisco Tavarez Contreras, 43, of Boston;
Santo Franco-Sanchez, 42, of Brookline;
Carlos Abel Rivera, 34, of North Smithfield, R.I.; and
Anthony Cuoco, 43, of Barnstable.

The federal sentence for charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess fentanyl and cocaine is a maximum of 20 years in prison, followed by at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, along with a fine of up to $1 million, Levy’s office said.

Representation for 18 of the listed defendants did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Defendant Alberto Gonzalez’s lawyer said he has not met with Gonzalez and had no comment.