A Lynn man has been handed a federal prison sentence for his involvement in a drug trafficking scheme that purportedly pushed tens of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl and methamphetamine throughout the North Shore. As reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Nelson Mora, 31, received a 44-month prison term followed by three years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

This case emerges from the broader crackdown of a DTO that, in October 2022, saw 23 individuals charged with participation in the operation. A subsequent indictment in December 2022 brought two more alleged co-conspirators into the fold, and in April 2024, two other individuals were indicted on money laundering charges linked to the DTO. The drugs peddled by this organization posed as legitimate medications – imitation oxycodone containing fentanyl, and fake Adderall containing methamphetamine, were sold to unspecified parties in the vicinity of Lynn. Mora is now the sixth defendant to face sentencing in this ongoing legal drama.

Evidence of Mora's participation includes an incident in 2022 where he exchanged 2,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills packed with fentanyl with an undercover officer. A search of Mora’s residence in October of the same year unveiled several hundred pills that met pharmaceutical standards. Lawrence Michael Nagle, another co-defendant, operated by distributing these controlled substances to a small network, which in turn sold them to other traffickers, including Mora, who also possessed a pill press for manufacturing the counterfeit medications.

The coordinated effort to dismantle this drug ring is part of an operation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). The multi-agency, intelligence-driven approach utilized by OCDETF plays a vital role in the campaign against high-level criminal enterprises that pose threats to public safety. Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy, Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA in New England, and John E. Mawn Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police, jointly announced the sentencing and acknowledged contributions from various local police departments as well as the Essex County District Attorney’s Office.

As of today, the remaining defendants in this case are deemed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The indictments cite allegations, and it is the trial process that will determine the full extent of each accused party's culpability.