BOSTON — Twenty-five people are facing criminal charges in connection with the dismantling of a large drug enterprise across eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island that racked in tens of thousands of dollars a day, federal officials announced Friday.
The 25 suspects are charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine after 2.3 kilograms of fentanyl, 12 kilograms of suspected fentanyl and cocaine, 300 grams of cocaine, six firearms, and about $400,000 was seized during a yearslong investigation, according to United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy.
In March 2022, law enforcement launched an investigation into a large-scale drug dispatch service operating in and around Boston, Levy said.
Over the course of the investigation, undercover drug purchases and intercepted communications established that the defendants allegedly distributed fentanyl and cocaine throughout eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, according to charging documents.
The alleged leader of the organization, Yulial Cuello-Reynoso, operated a drug customer order telephone and employed distributors and stash house operators to process, store, and distribute narcotics, prosecutors said.
The organization also allegedly employed a color-coding system to differentiate between the drugs it sold and frequently concealed drugs in socks within the engine compartments of cars driven by distributors, resulting in the distribution of about $20,000 in drugs daily.
Another suspect charged in this case, Elisbania Tejeda-Soto, allegedly stated in an intercepted call, “Those people like the stuff that kills them.”
“Communities across eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island are safer today because of this takedown that dismantled a sophisticated and large-scale drug trafficking organization operating in plain sight. We allege that these defendants exploited addiction for personal profit and with full knowledge that the drugs they were peddling could be lethal,” Levy said in a statement. “They allegedly raked in $20,000 a day at the expense of the lives and safety of people suffering from drug addiction.”
The DEA, Boston Police Department, Massachusett State Police, ATF, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement assisted with the investigation, and special assistance was provided by the Arlington and Medford Police Departments, according to Levy.
The following people are facing charges:
1. Yulial Cueo-Reynoso a/k/a “Sonny,” 33, of Leominster
2. Yordania Abel Rivera a/k/a “Mommy,” 33, of Leominster
3. 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
4. Rafael Concepcion a/k/a “Menor,” 34, of Boston
5. Alinson Joel Ortiz Arias, 32, of Boston
6. Axel Brea Baez, 25, of Boston
7. Denly Soto-Tejeda, 25, of Manchester, N.H.
8. Yeiron Vizcaino Vizcaino a/k/a “Boli,” 28, of Boston
9. Alberto Gonzalez, 36, of Boston
10. Luis Guerrero, 25, of Lawrence
11. Mariela Cuello Reynoso, 30, of Boston
12. Elisbania Tejeda-Soto a/k/a “Lisbania,” 25, of Boston
13. Rubert Adrian Jimenez a/k/a “Soga,” 24, of Boston
14. Adrian Suncar-Gonzalez, 38, of Boston
15. Johangel Mejia-Hernandez, 22, of Boston
16. Francisco Tavarez Contreras, 43, of Boston
17. Santo Franco-Sanchez, 42, of Brookline
18. Carlos Abel Rivera, 34, of North Smithfield, R.I.
19. Anthony Cuoco, 43, of Barnstable
Levy noted that six suspects remain at large and under seal.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million.
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