SAUGUS — A 45-year-old Saugus woman pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to her role in a large-scale drug trafficking ring, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
Nicole Benton was charged with conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and other controlled substances; and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking conspiracy.
Benton was charged on June 30, along with co-conspirators Vincent Caruso, Laurie Caruso, and Ernest Johnson, who have all pleaded not guilty.
Benton admitted that she had distributed more than 100,000 counterfeit Percocet pills containing fentanyl on behalf of a larger organization operated by Vincent Caruso, a self-admitted Crip gang member, that included Johnson and Vincent Caruso’s mother, Laurie Caruso, among others; prosecutors said these pills were equal to approximately 10 kilograms of fentanyl.
A single counterfeit fentanyl pill allegedly retails between $10 to $20, thereby generating millions of dollars in retail sales. Prosecutors said the larger organization would manufacture the fentanyl pills and would then distribute the pills for street gangs to sell across the North Shore. The organization used pill presses, which were able to make thousands of pills a day.
Prosecutors said police seized 40 grams of fentanyl and a firearm during a search of Benton’s home on June 30.
Benton is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 20, 2022.
For the charge of conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, Benton faces up to life in prison, at least four years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. The charge of conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense provides for a mandatory consecutive sentence of five years and up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
