BOSTON – Three individuals have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston in connection with a nationwide conspiracy to traffic controlled substances from Arizona into Massachusetts. Defendants allegedly hid drugs in packages containing children’s items such as toy trucks, Halloween decorations and Disney items.
Denise Guyette, 29, of Woonsocket, R.I.; Gerardo Garza, a/k/a “Oso,” 47, of Yuma, Ariz.; and Nathan Boddie, 38, of Pawtucket, R.I., were indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Guyette was taken into custody on February 8, 2023, and detained after a brief appearance before a federal court in Boston. Boddie, who was currently in state custody for Rhode Island state criminal charges, was arrested on February 6, 2023. Boddie will make an appearance in federal court in Boston on a later date. Garza was detained in limbo pending a detention hearing after he was arrested on February 10, 2023 in Southern District of California. At a later time, he will appear in federal court in Boston.
According to court records, Guyette led a drug trafficking organisation (DTO) in April 2022. It is alleged that Guyette conspired with Garza, Boddie 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 (DMT), a very strong psychedelic.
“Fentanyl and methamphetamine are serious, lethal threats to the well-being of our communities,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “My office and our law enforcement partners will continue to identify drug traffickers and stop the flow of illegal drugs into Massachusetts where they cause pain and destruction. Drug trafficking is often linked to other criminal activity, including illegal firearms. This case was no exception. We also seized ghost guns and a 3-D printer that we claim was used for printing parts of ghost guns. It is our contention that this seizure likely saved countless lives.”
“Operation Raising Arizona has dealt a significant blow to a drug trafficking organization that we believe is responsible for operating nationwide, flooding communities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island with highly addictive and deadly narcotics. All three individuals we’ve removed from the street are accused of being prolific drug dealers who thrived on selling drugs and believed they could pull the wool over the eyes of investigators by hiding their product inside toys and other common household items,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “The violence associated with the illegal drug trade, as illustrated by our seizure of multiple ghost guns, is a threat to our communities, and the FBI and our partners are committed to working together across jurisdictions to take down criminals who insist on bringing their harmful business to our neighborhoods.”
Boddie, who was allegedly carrying a 9mm pistol ghost gun, five rounds of ammunition and an empty 9mm mag were found inside his vehicle during a traffic stop. Boddie was also allegedly found with 20 grams of suspected methamphetamine in a plastic bag during a search on his body.
At the time of Guyette’s arrest on Feb. 8, 2023, approximately 15 pounds of a crystal substance that field tested positive for methamphetamine and thousands of suspected fentanyl pills weighing over 400 grams were located in a safe in her bedroom. A digital scale as well as multiple Rhode Island and Massachusetts driver’s licenses, Social Security cards and credit cards in the names of other individuals were also found during a search of Guyette’s residence. During a search of Boddie’s Rhode Island residence, investigators seized two ghost guns, a 3-D printer used to print ghost gun components, approximately 150 grams of suspected methamphetamine as well as 10 different driver’s licenses, each bearing Boddie’s photo with names and addresses of other individuals.
Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement officers seized more than 16 pounds of methamphetamines and 700 grams of fake prescription pills containing Fentanyl.
A charge of conspiracy to distribute or possess controlled substances can result in a sentence of at least 20 years imprisonment, at most three years, a lifetime of supervised freedom and a maximum fine of $1 million. A federal district court judge will impose sentences based on the U.S. The sentence determination process in criminal cases is governed by the Sentencencing Guidelines and Statutes.
Rachael S.Rollins, United States Attorney, Joseph R. Bonavolonta and Commissioner Carol Mici, Massachusetts Department of Correction, made today’s announcement. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Yuma Resident Agency and Imperial County Resident Agency provided valuable assistance; United States Postal Service; Massachusetts State Police and Woonsocket (R.I.) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alathea Porter and Charles Dell’Anno of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.
This case is part an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces operation (OCDETF). Using a multi-agency, prosecutor-led, intelligence driven approach, OCDETF identifies and disrupts the most dangerous criminal organizations in the United States. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
These details are only allegations. Unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt by the court of justice, defendants are presumed innocent.