BOSTON — Five North Shore residents were charged Wednesday in connection with a drug-trafficking organization which allegedly distributed counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl to suppliers in the area, the U.S. Attorney said.
Vincent Caruso, 26, and Ernest Johnson, 33, of Salem, Laurie Caruso, 51, of Lynn, and Nicole Benton, 45, of Saugus were arrested Wednesday and charged. A fifth defendant, Cesar Rivera, 22, of Revere, currently in state custody, was charged separately with firearm and drug offenses.
According to charging documents, Vincent Caruso, a self-admitted Crip gang member, operates a large drug trafficking-organization with his mother, Laurie — along with Johnson and Benton, among others — to sell counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl to street gangs for further distribution on the North Shore.
According to a statement from an FBI special agent involved in the investigation, a search warrant executed Wednesday morning at a Lynn apartment building inhabited by the defendants turned up approximately 2,000 pills, in addition to ammunition and paraphernalia associated with the manufacturing of pressed fentanyl pills. Another search at a Lynn property owned by Laurie Caruso’s mother turned up more than 10 firearms in a vehicle stored in a garage.
Vincent Caruso allegedly possessed multiple pill presses, including one described as being capable of producing 15,000 pills per hour and weighing 1,000 pounds; it and other presses were used to create counterfeit Percocet pills containing fentanyl. A counterfeit fentanyl pill retails at prices between $10 and $20, thereby generating millions of dollars in retail sales, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
It is further alleged that Vincent Caruso and Johnson possessed and used firearms to further their drug-trafficking activities. The two defendants posted and messaged photos and videos over social media that depicted firearms (including an AR-15), fentanyl pills, cash and high-end jewelry. In a number of videos, Johnson allegedly described his involvement in shootings, beatings and drug trafficking and identified people he believed to be a “rat” or a “snitch.”
In addition, it is alleged that Benton and Laurie Caruso conducted cash transactions in order to launder portions of the illegal proceeds of the drug-trafficking operation by placing sports bets at a New Hampshire casino.
Vincent Caruso and Johnson were charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; one count of conspiracy to conduct financial transactions affecting interstate commerce involving the proceeds of dealing in a controlled substance; and one count of conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking conspiracy. Caruso was also charged with one count of conspiracy to possess a tableting machine to manufacture a controlled substance.
Laurie Caruso and Benton were charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of conspiracy to conduct financial transactions affecting interstate commerce involving the proceeds of dealing in a controlled substance.
Rivera was charged separately with one count of possessing controlled substances with intent to distribute and one count of conspiracy to possess and use a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
