Bristol County man admits to role in large drug trafficking conspiracy in Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire

BOSTON – A Bristol County man pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute cocaine in Massachusetts and Maine as part of a large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 40-year-old Christopher Riley of Easton pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute cocaine before U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani, who scheduled sentencing for June 13, 2023.

Riley was charged in November 2021 along with 12 others in connection with a large drug conspiracy centering around the Gangster Disciples in Lawrence, Haverhill and Methuen. The investigation, which began in August 2020, intercepted communications between Gangster Disciples’ leaders, members and drug suppliers pertaining to their alleged distribution of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and Suboxone in Massachusetts, Maine and southern New Hampshire as well as into the Essex County Jail. The investigation intercepted phone calls between Riley and other gang members, who conspired to distribute cocaine in Massachusetts and Maine.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and John E. Mawn, Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. Assistance was provided by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of Rollins’ Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.