Source: Office of United States Attorneys
BOSTON – A Southbridge man has been convicted by a federal jury for his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed cocaine and fentanyl throughout the North Shore and Central Massachusetts areas.
Ismael Maysonet, 40, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for June 4, 2025. In September 2022, Maysonet was charged along with 21 other co-conspirators.
“Ismael Maysonet was a member of a large-scale drug trafficking organization that pumped fentanyl and cocaine into the communities of Massachusetts. We will continue to target and dismantle these groups to keep our communities safe and hold drug traffickers accountable,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “My office is committed to prosecuting all drug traffickers who prey on the vulnerable and addicted in our communities. We will continue to root out, arrest and prosecute those who violate our drug laws.”
“Those who choose to distribute fentanyl and cocaine endanger their customers as well as the general public. Maintaining public safety requires that they be prosecuted aggressively,” said Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division. “We work closely each day with our law enforcement partners to target those who seek to profit from the sale of these substances.”
“Postal inspectors are committed to ensuring the U.S. Postal Service is not a mechanism to distribute deadly fentanyl and other illicit narcotics,” stated Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service. “Let today’s verdict serve as a reminder that postal inspectors, along with our law enforcement partners, remain steadfast in our resolve to combat the flow of illicit drugs impacting our communities.”
In and around August 2021 through August 2022, Maysonet was identified as a member of a Southbridge-based DTO who distributed cocaine and fentanyl to retail customers and other drug dealers at the request of the leaders of the DTO, Jonathan Pizarro Gonzalez and Isaac Gonzalez. The DTO regularly used the United States mail to conduct drug trafficking activities. Specifically, the DTO obtained large quantities of cocaine through packages mailed from Puerto Rico to addresses used by the DTO and mailed packages containing fentanyl to recipients in Florida and elsewhere. On multiple occasions Maysonet was observed retrieving packages that were delivered by the United States mail that were known to contain drugs. Throughout the investigation, Maysonet was heard over intercepted calls discussing drug trafficking, payments and pickups, as well as the packaging of fentanyl in an electronic device to be mailed to Florida. Approximately nine kilograms of cocaine from packages sent through the mail and 800 grams of fentanyl were seized from various DTO members over the course of the investigation.
Both Jonathan Pizarro Gonzalez and Isaac Gonzalez pleaded guilty in January 2025 and are scheduled to be sentenced on April 29, 2025 and May 12, 2025, respectively.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams of cocaine fentanyl provides for a mandatory minimum sentence offive5 years and up to life in prison, at least four years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 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 Foley, DEA Acting SAC Belleau and USPIS INC Larco-Ward made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Marshals Service, Massachusetts State Police, Southbridge Police Department, Lawrence Police Department, Essex County Sherriff’s Department and Worcester County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen W. Hassink and Samuel R. Feldman of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.
This investigation 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 at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.