BOSTON – A Stoughton man has pleaded guilty to managing a large-scale drug trafficking organization (DTO) that shipped dozens of parcels containing kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico to various addresses throughout Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Patrick Joseph, 41, pleaded guilty on March 14, 2024 to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for June 20, 2024.
In February 2020, Joseph was identified as the manager of a DTO who facilitated the importation of dozens of kilograms of cocaine from overseas via the U.S. Mail. Joseph served as the Massachusetts-based importer who communicated directly with suppliers in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, coordinating the transportation of 10-20 kilograms of cocaine at a time in parcels mailed to Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The cocaine was concealed in two-kilogram quantities inside air fryers and locked cash boxes within mailed parcels. Joseph also oversaw multiple couriers who would retrieve and deliver the parcels and arranged for multiple stash locations out of which the DTO operated.
Joseph was arrested and charged along with eight others in May 2021. At the time of the arrests, various firearms, 21 kilograms of cocaine and over $100,000 cash were seized.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms of cocaine provides for a sentence of at least 10 years up to life in prison, five years and up to lifetime supervised release and a fine of $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division; John E. Mawn Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. The Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division and Homeland Security Investigations in Boston provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip C. Cheng and James E. Arnold of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
This case 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 documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
