25 arrested in Massachusetts, Rhode Island drug trafficking conspiracy allegedly earning $20,000 per day distributing fentanyl, crack cocaine and powder cocaine

BOSTON – According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, Twenty-five individuals have been charged in connection with a drug trafficking conspiracy involving fentanyl and cocaine with activity that spanned across eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Over 2.3 kilograms of fentanyl, 12 kilograms of suspected fentanyl and cocaine, 300 grams of cocaine, six firearms and approximately $400,000 was seized during the investigation.

“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 of that the drugs they were peddling could be lethal. They allegedly raked in $20,000 a day at the expense of the lives and safety of people suffering from drug addiction,” said United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “This case should send an unmistakable message: together with our federal, state and local partners, we will not allow drug traffickers to profit while our communities suffer, and we are committed to disrupting these criminal enterprises.”

“Fentanyl and cocaine are causing tremendous damage to our communities,” said Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division. “Those who distribute these drugs are endangering the safety of the citizens of Massachusetts. 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.”

The following defendants have been charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and have been apprehended. Six defendants remain at large and remain under seal:

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.; and

19.  Anthony Cuoco, 43, of Barnstable.

            According to the charging documents, in March 2022, law enforcement began an investigation into a large-scale drug dispatch service operating in and around Boston. 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.

            Specifically, it is alleged that the drug trafficking organization is led by Yulial Cuello-Reynoso, who operated a drug customer order telephone and employed distributors and stash house operators to process, store and distribute narcotics. The organization allegedly distributed approximately $20,000 worth of drugs per day and maintained multiple stash locations simultaneously. The organization also allegedly employed a color-coding system to differentiate between the drugs (fentanyl, crack cocaine and powder cocaine) it sold and frequently concealed drugs in socks within the engine compartments of cars driven by distributors. Some of the defendants openly discussed the dangers of the drugs they were distributing. For example, when referring to drug customers, Tejeda-Soto allegedly stated in an intercepted call, “Those people like the stuff that kills them.” During the course of the investigation, over 2.3 kilograms of fentanyl and 300 grams of cocaine was seized. In addition, approximately 12 kilograms of suspected fentanyl and cocaine, six firearms and approximately $400,000 was seized during searches in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. 

            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. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

            U.S. Attorney Levy, DEA Acting SAC Belleau and Michael Cox, Commissioner of the Boston Police Department made the announcement. Massachusetts State Police; The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service; and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement assisted in the investigation. Special assistance was provided by the Arlington and Medford Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Ferguson, Deputy Chief of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit, is prosecuting the case.