Twenty-three individuals in Massachusetts have been charged in connection with a North Shore-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) that allegedly manufactured and distributed tens of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills containing narcotics.
The defendants were charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute controlled substances.
According to the charging documents, in 2018, law enforcement identified brothers Lawrence Michael Nagle and Christopher Nagle as leaders of a DTO distributing various controlled substances throughout the North Shore region of Massachusetts. It is alleged that the Nagle DTO distributed significant quantities of various controlled substances, including, Adderall (both pharmaceutical-grade pills and counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine), methamphetamine, Xanax, Oxycodone (both pharmaceutical-grade and counterfeit pills containing fentanyl), cocaine and marijuana, among others.
The Nagle DTO allegedly distributed controlled substances to a small network of individuals who would then redistribute the drugs to other traffickers, including separate, but interconnected, organizations headed by Nelson Mora, Javier Bello, and Anthony Bryson. It is alleged that Mora, Bello and Bryson obtained their drug supply from other sources at times and that Mora and Bryson had access to pill press machines used to create counterfeit pills.
The investigation resulted in numerous seizures of controlled substances, including over 74,000 counterfeit Adderall pills containing methamphetamine, weighing more than 24 kilograms; 591 counterfeit Adderall pills containing methamphetamine; 1,000 counterfeit Oxycodone pills containing fentanyl; and 101 counterfeit Oxycodone pills containing fentanyl.
During the execution of federal search warrants Monday morning, investigators seized a pill press hidden under a sheet in a basement laundry room, plastic bags containing approximately three to four kilograms of suspected powdered fentanyl in various colors, various quantities of suspected counterfeit Adderall pills containing methamphetamine and various quantities of suspected counterfeit oxycodone containing fentanyl. Many of the suspected counterfeit pills were packaged for sale. A firearm and additional suspected counterfeit pills containing controlled substances were also seized from inside a furniture hide.
The charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
U.S. Attorney Rollins, DEA SAC Boyle, MSP Superintendent Colonel Mason, Melrose Police Chief Michael L. Lyle, Lowell Police Interim Superintendent Barry Golner, and Lynn Police Chief Christopher P. Reddy made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Beverly, Billerica, Everett, Peabody, Revere, Salem, Saugus, and Swampscott Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys James E. Arnold, Ann Taylor, and Evan D. Panich of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) 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 on the Department of Justice website.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The following defendants have been charged:
- Lawrence Michael Nagle, a/k/a “Mikey,” 32, of Saugus;
- Christopher Nagle, a/k/a “Cuda,” 28, of Revere;
- Nelson Mora, a/k/a “Nellie,” 29, of Lynn;
- Javier Bello, a/k/a “Javi,” 27, of Beverly;
- Anthony Bryson, 33, of Billerica;
- Frantz Adolphe, 28, of Lynn;
- Raymond Kulakowski, 36, of Lynn;
- Soyanna Lages, 33, of Somerville;
- David Muise, a/k/a “Pinky,” 35, of Swampscott;
- David Delauri, 30, of Haverhill;
- Savannah Lee Bartone, 35, of Peabody;
- Lawrence M. Nagle Sr., a/k/a “Michael L. Nagle,” a/k/a “Tony Dias,” 54, of Lynn;
- Alexander Villar, 33 of Danvers;
- Kion Shepherd, a/k/a “Kilo,” 31, of Salem;
- Melvin Nieves, 23, of Lynn;
- Erick Solis Lopez, a/k/a “Wichy,” 24, of Salem;
- Christopher Tejeda, 21, of Lynn;
- Edward Ortiz, 32, of Swampscott;
- Justin Westmoreland, 24, of Saugus;
- Yaira Ramos-Rivera, 39, of Billerica;
- Jose Garcia, 45, of Roslindale;
- Anna Bryson, 59, of Saugus; and
- Chevon Dorce, 43, of Lynn.
