Previously convicted Arizona man sentenced for role in distributing, laundering proceeds of, truckloads of fentanyl, cocaine from California to Massachusetts and the Carolinas

BOSTON – A Tucson, Ariz., man has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for his role in distributing truckloads of fentanyl and cocaine and then laundering the proceeds.

According to a release from the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 38-year-old Reginel Cazares, a/k/a “Junior,” was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise Casper to 160 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In January 2026, Cazares pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances (involving 400 grams or more of fentanyl and five kilograms or more of cocaine) and money laundering conspiracy. Cazares was indicted on June 13, 2024.

In August 2023, law enforcement learned about an individual named “Junior” – later identified as Cazares – based in Tucson, Ariz., who organized multi-kilogram deliveries of fentanyl and cocaine from California to Massachusetts. The kilograms were driven by tractor trailer from the area of Ontario, Calif., to Massachusetts. In November and December of 2023 Cazares directed a cooperating witness to pick up $600,00 in drug proceeds from two co-defendants in Tewksbury, Mass. On Feb. 16, 2024, Cazares directed the cooperating witness to pick up four kilograms of fentanyl and nine kilograms of cocaine in Ontario, Calif., which were to be driven to Massachusetts and the Carolinas. The narcotics were intercepted by law enforcement.

In 2012, Cazares was convicted of cocaine conspiracy in the District of New Jersey and sentenced to 57 months in federal prison.

United States Attorney Leah Foley and Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Riverside (Calif.), Bakersfield (Calif.) and Tucson (Ariz.) DEA Offices; San Bernadino County (Calif.) Sheriff’s Department; Inland Regional Narcotics Enforcement Team; the Methuen Police Department; and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel R. Feldman of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.