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Press Release

Boston Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts

BOSTON – A Boston man pleaded guilty today to his role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.

London Lee, 29, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for July 13, 2023. Lee was arrested and charged along with co-defendant Josiah Watkins in April 2021. 

In February 2021, an investigation began into drug trafficking activities conducted by Lee and Watkins. The investigation revealed that Lee and Watkins were actively selling cocaine and fentanyl in the Boston area. Between February and April 2021, Watkins sold or arranged the sale of fentanyl and cocaine in at least 10 separate controlled purchases. 

On Nov. 28, 2022, Watkins pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 28, 2023.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and cocaine provides for a sentence of a mandatory minimum term of five years and up to 40 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Dawley, Jr. of Rollins’ Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Updated April 7, 2023

Topic
Drug Trafficking