Leader of Massachusetts drug trafficking operation that reached across the Commonwealth sentenced to prison

BOSTON – A Massachusetts man was sentenced this week in federal court in Boston for his role leading a wide-ranging drug trafficking conspiracy reaching from Boston to Brockton to Cape Cod.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 36-year-old Djuna Goncalves was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 230 months, or more than 19 years, in prison and five years of supervised release. In October 2021, Goncalves pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, cocaine, cocaine base, oxycodone and marijuana; possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin; possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, cocaine, cocaine base and marijuana; being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. 

“Djuna Goncalves was the leader of a violent drug trafficking operation that, for years, fueled serious and deadly crimes involving guns and including murders that plagued neighborhoods across our Commonwealth,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “This office will continue to prioritize protecting our communities by finding and prosecuting the drug traffickers and violent offenders who terrorize our neighborhoods. If you fall into that category, consider yourself warned.”

“Djuna Goncalves was the leader of a violent drug crew responsible for moving vast quantities of fentanyl and other deadly drugs throughout southeastern Massachusetts. While they turned a profit, people and their families were tormented by the forces of drug use and addiction,” said Matthew Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge for the Homeland Security Investigations New England Field Office. “HSI is committed to dismantling and disrupting drug trafficking operations to stop the flow of drugs into New England. We’re proud to join our partners to announce today’s sentence.”

“DEA is committed to investigating and dismantling Drug Trafficking Organizations and individuals like Mr. Goncalves who are responsible for distributing lethal drugs like fentanyl and heroin,” said Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division. “Today’s sentence not only holds Mr. Goncalves accountable for his crimes but serves as a warning to those traffickers who are fueling the opioid epidemic with deadly drugs in order to profit and destroy people’s lives. DEA’s top priority is combatting the opioid epidemic by working with our local, county, state and federal partners to bring to justice anyone who distributes this poison.”

In the fall of 2018, law enforcement began investigating a violent Brockton drug crew headed by Djuna Goncalves. The investigation revealed that Djuna Goncalves worked with his brothers (and co-defendants) Cody and Tony Goncalves and others to distribute large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, cocaine base and marijuana throughout southeastern Massachusetts from a base of operations in Brockton. The investigation also targeted several Boston-based drug suppliers to the Goncalves brothers. Large quantities of heroin, fentanyl, cash, a loaded handgun, and an AK-47 assault rifle were seized from Djuna Goncalves, who had previously been convicted of two prior drug distribution offenses.

In all, 17 defendants, including Djuna Goncalves, were indicted as part of a wide-ranging drug trafficking conspiracy. Djuna Goncalves was the last defendant to be sentenced.

U.S. Attorney Rollins; HSI SAC Millhollin; DEA SAC Boyle; and Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Pohl and Alathea E. Porter of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.