Metro-West Drug Traffickers Charged in Oxycodone Distribution Ring

BOSTON—Fifteen individuals were charged today with conspiracy to distribute Oxycodone.

Charged in a criminal complaint with the drug conspiracy were Michael Bourque, 42, of Natick; Robert Hagenaars, 37, of Waltham; Brian Chisholm, 44, of Newton; Barry Goolst, 52, of Waltham; Phillip Goolst, 49, of Waltham; Thomas Ehwa, 26, of Waltham; Frank McGuire, 42, of Natick; Michael Roy, 32, of Milford; Christopher Yancey, 41, of Natick; Corey Assencoa, 43, of Hopkinton; Sean Cotter, 41, of Acton; Mark Newton, 27, of Hudson; Mark Ouellette, 43, of Shirley; John Kinney, 29, of Woburn; and Raymond Panaggio, 44, of Newton. All were arrested this morning.

According to the criminal complaint affidavit, a court-authorized wiretap was utilized to intercept communication between the defendants over the course of approximately four months. It is alleged that Bourque, the owner and operator of DEX Corporation, a shipping company located in Natick, used DEX Corporation as a front for his drug trafficking operations. The criminal complaint affidavit details Bourque’s distribution of thousands of oxycodone (Percocet) pills to both re-distributors and drug customers. Bourque is alleged to have acquired oxycodone from multiple sources of narcotics supply and utilized Yancey, Phillip Goolst, Barry Goolst, and McGuire, among others, as “runners” to distribute pills and collect drug proceeds.

On March 29, 2013, it is alleged that Ouellette and Cotter distributed 700 oxycodone pills to Bourque. In a search of Ouellette’s home, law enforcement recovered 1,500 to 2,000 pills of suspected oxycodone, over $30,000 in cash, and a loaded firearm.

According to court documents, from at least February 2011 through April 2013, Bourque, Hagenaars, Chisholm, Barry Goolst, Phillip Goolst, Ehwa, McGuire, Roy, Yancey, Assencoa, Cotter, Newton, Ouellette, Kinney, and Panaggio purchased, sold, and/or distributed wholesale quantities of Oxycodone.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who wreak havoc in Massachusetts cities and towns through the distribution and sale of illegal drugs,” said United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz. “We will continue to keep a vigilant eye over the communities and neighborhoods that we serve in an effort to ensure the highest degree of safety and quality of life for all residents. This investigation exemplifies the commitment and cooperation between all levels of law enforcement which strive, above all else, to protect their communities from crime and those that perpetrate illegal activities.”

“With these arrests today, we hope to send a strong message that trafficking and distributing prescription pain medication will not be tolerated, and we will utilize the full breadth of our law enforcement resources to bare. We are committed to identifying, investigating, arresting, prosecuting, and sending to prison those responsible for this illegal drug trafficking,” said Special Agent in Charge Arvanitis. “This case highlights the strengths of our law enforcement partnerships and the dedication of the men and women who participated in the investigation.”

The charge of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.

U.S. Attorney Ortiz; John J. Arvanitis, SAC of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; and Middlesex County District Attorney Marian T. Ryan, made the announcement today.

The case was investigated by DEA Boston; Federal Bureau of Investigation (Boston); Homeland Security Investigations (Boston); Internal Revenue Service (Boston); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Police Departments of Framingham, Waltham, Millis, Natick, Newton, Lexington, Arlington, Holliston, Boston, Stoughton, Haverhill, Shirley, Hopkinton, Watertown, Braintree, Woburn, Acton, and Milford; Massachusetts State Police; Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council (MetroLEC); and Butte (California) Interagency Narcotics Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neil J. Gallagher and Michael I. Yoon of Ortiz’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.

The details contained in complaint affidavit are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.