Massachusetts man sentenced to prison after possessing tens of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills laced with meth, fentanyl

BOSTON — A Barnstable man was sentenced in federal court for felony narcotics charges.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, John Kirk Costello, 45, originally from Milton, received a 30-month prison sentence followed by four years of supervised release from U.S. District Court Senior Judge William G. Young. On July 11, 2024, Costello pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

The case began on January 13, 2021, when Costello sold approximately 1,000 counterfeit Adderall pills to an undercover officer, the pills laced with methamphetamine. A search of his home in November 2021 uncovered significant drug quantities: about 264 grams of 95% pure methamphetamine, 6 kilograms of 7% pure methamphetamine, 2,472 counterfeit Adderall pills containing methamphetamine, and 1,707 counterfeit Percocet pills laced with fentanyl.

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Tolkoff of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.