A Southbridge man, Ismael Maysonet, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison following his role as the chief lieutenant of a drug trafficking organization in Central Massachusetts. The sentencing took place in the federal court in Worcester, where U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman additionally imposed a five-year term of supervised release upon Maysonet's release from prison, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Convicted for a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, Maysonet's trial concluded in February 2025 after a six-day jury trial and his involvement was traced from August 2021 through August 2022 in the drug trafficking outfit, which also saw the seizure by law enforcement of about nine kilograms of cocaine and 800 grams of fentanyl over the investigation period, officials said.
Maysonet was not only responsible for the distribution of vast amounts of narcotics but also managed negotiations with suppliers and shipments of drugs to various customers, according to the prosecutor's report, he was directly involved in the transfer of drug proceeds and the packaging of fentanyl for.Isaac Gonzalez in Florida for onward distribution, also he approached mail carriers inquiring about packages when law enforcement intercepted a cocaine shipment.
The wider operation, which entangled over twenty co-conspirators, including Jonathan Pizarro Gonzalez and Isaac Gonzalez who both pleaded guilty and received sentences of 10 and 15 years respectively in June 2025, was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative which utilizes a multi-agency approach to break down high-level criminal enterprises threatening the U.S., as detailed by the authorities.
The joint effort by federal and state law enforcement agencies in apprehending Maysonet reflects a hardline stance against the drug trade, with the United States Attorney Leah B. Foley, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jarod A. Forget, and USPS Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward at the helm of the announcement. Moreover, contributions came from the U.S. Marshals Service, Massachusetts State Police, Southbridge Police Department, Lawrence Police Department, Essex County Sheriff’s Department, and Worcester County Sheriff’s Department, as the prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen W. Hassink and Samuel R. Feldman of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit, carried the case to conclusion.
