A Stoughton man has been handed a prison sentence exceeding 12 years for his involvement in a fentanyl trafficking ring that used mailing systems to distribute the dangerous drug. On Thursday, Angel Morales, 53, received a 151-month sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley, which will be followed by five years of supervised release, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston.
Back in April, Morales pleaded guilty to charges of fentanyl distribution and conspiracy, including one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute the same amount. His indictment came in December 2022, alongside Quenty Ogando, Erika Prado and Rahelin Reynoso, after an operation that spanned from September to November 2022 was uncovered.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Morales's job within the operation was to dispatch packages from various post offices throughout Massachusetts, knowing some contained controlled substances. Reports from FedEx employees indicated that upon opening suspicious packages in line with internal procedures, they found clear plastic bags filled with counterfeit pills, some of which later tested positive for fentanyl.
Surveillance operations recorded Morales making rounds to post offices and FedEx facilities, soon after which, a search of an apartment in Mattapan yielded over 20 kilograms of pills in various colors, evidence of fentanyl, as well as loose powder, large amounts of cash, and three industrial grade pill presses. The charges stated that Morales, was on federal supervised release having been granted compassionate release in 2020 at the time of his criminal activities.
Morales is the last of the defendants to face sentencing. Earlier this year, Ogando was sentenced to 144 months in prison with five years of supervised release, while Reynoso received a six-year sentence with two years of supervised release in June, and Prado was given time served with a year of supervised release handed down in April.
The successful prosecution of this case saw the collaboration of various agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Police Department, and others, with the Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Mackenzie Duane and Jennifer Zacks of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit heading the legal proceedings.
