RI man sentenced after 16+ lbs. of meth, 700+g of fentanyl pills seized in Arizona to Mass. conspiracy

BOSTON – A Rhode Island man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his role in a nationwide conspiracy to traffic controlled substances from Arizona into Massachusetts.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 38-year-old Nathan Boddie of Pawtucket, R.I. was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to seven years in prison and three years of supervised release. On May 19, 2023, Bodie pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. Boddie was indicted by a federal grand jury along with alleged co-conspirators Denise Guyette and Gerardo Garza in February 2023.

According to court documents, in or about April 2022, an investigation began into a drug trafficking organization (DTO) led by Guyette. Boddie conspired with Garza and, allegedly, Guyette and others to traffic various controlled substances – including methamphetamine, fentanyl pills and cocaine – in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and elsewhere. It is further alleged that the DTO routinely used the mail to ship drugs from Arizona to Massachusetts, often hiding the drugs within packages containing children’s items such as toy trucks, Halloween decorations and Disney items. Between May and October 2022, investigators seized seven packages containing a total of over 900 grams of methamphetamine, thousands of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, as well as suspected Dimethyltryptamine– a very strong psychedelic. One such package was destined for Boddie and contained over 200 grams of pure methamphetamine.

On Feb. 6, 2023, Boddie was arrested in Rhode Island following a traffic stop. Located inside his vehicle was a 9mm ghost gun loaded with five rounds of ammunition, an empty 9mm magazine and a 10-round capable magazine loaded with one round of ammunition. Additionally, Boddie attempted to swallow a plastic bag containing 20 grams of methamphetamine during a search of his person.

During a search of Boddie’s Rhode Island residence, two ghost guns, a 3-D printer used to print ghost gun components, approximately 120 grams of methamphetamine as well as 10 different driver’s licenses, each bearing Boddie’s photo with names and addresses of other individuals were recovered.

In total, over 16 pounds of methamphetamine and more than 700 grams of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl was seized over the course of the investigation.

On Aug. 10, 2023, Garza pleaded guilty to a superseding indictment charging him and Guyette with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Guyette has pleaded not guilty and is pending trial.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction; and Hudson Police Chief Richard DiPersio made the announcement today. Assistance was provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration; Federal Bureau of Investigation, Imperial County Resident Agency and Yuma Resident Agency; United States Postal Service; Massachusetts State Police; and the Woonsocket (R.I.) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alathea Porter and Charles Dell’Anno of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces 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.