BOSTON – Nearly two dozen people have been indicted in federal court in Boston in connection with alleged roles in drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) that distributed cocaine and fentanyl throughout the North Shore and Central Massachusetts.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, 21 individuals have been charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute various weights of fentanyl and cocaine and for distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.
The defendants charged are:
- Jonathan Pizarro Gonzalez, 30, of Southbridge;
- Isaac Gonzalez, 31, of Southbridge;
- Ismael Maysonet, 40, of Southbridge;
- Nataly Vazquez Pizarro, 40, of Southbridge;
- Jonathan Rivera Otero, 27, of Puerto Rico;
- Jassiel Ortiz Cardona, 28, of Puerto Rico;
- Josue Maisonet, 26, of Southbridge;
- Kimberly Heck, 38, of Southbridge;
- Edgardo Ramirez, 44, of Southbridge;
- Jacob Fuentes, 47, of Southbridge;
- Richard Watts, 27, of Southbridge;
- Juan Lara Tejada a/k/a “Mayimbe,” 31, of Lawrence;
- William Torres, 42, of Lawrence;
- Julio Rivera Morales, 49, of Philadelphia;
- Hector Luis Torres Rosario, 40, of Lawrence;
- Leduis Esteves Cabrera, 26, of Lawrence;
- Deborah Torres, 34, of Lawrence;
- Clinton Ortiz, 38, of Southbridge;
- Reinaldo Rosado, 39, of Southbridge;
- Roberto Lopez, 34, of Southbridge;
- Henry Rodriguez-Ruiz, 47, of Southbridge
According to the charging documents, Jonathan Pizarro Gonzalez and Isaac Gonzalez were identified as the leaders of a Southbridge-based DTO comprised of Vazquez, Maysonet, Maisonet, Fuentes, Ortiz, and Heck, among others, that distributed cocaine and fentanyl to retail customers and to other drug dealers.
The DTO allegedly used the United States mail to conduct drug trafficking activities. The DTO allegedly obtained large quantities of cocaine through packages mailed from Puerto Rico to addresses used by the DTO and mailed packages containing fentanyl to recipients in Florida and elsewhere. Intercepted communications allegedly identified William Torres, Hector Luis Torres Rosario, and Cabrera, among others as Lawrence-based fentanyl distributors who worked to directly supply Gonzalez’s DTO and other distributors with fentanyl.
Approximately nine kilograms of cocaine from packages sent through the mail and 800 grams of fentanyl were seized from various DTO members over the course of the investigation.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 400 grams or more of fentanyl provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams of cocaine and 40 grams of fentanyl provides a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5 million.
