2 From Rhode Island Traffic Meth, Fentanyl, DMT From Arizona To Massachusetts: Feds

WOONSOCKET, RI — Two Rhode Island residents were indicted Friday by a federal grand jury in Boston after prosecutors said they participated in a drug trafficking conspiracy that spanned from Arizona to Massachusetts.

Prosecutors said Denise Guyette, 29, of Woonsocket, Gerardo Garza, 47, of Yuma, Arizona, and Nathan Boddie, 38, of Pawtucket, hid drugs in packages containing children's items such as toy trucks, Halloween decorations, and Disney items.

According to court documents, around April 2022, federal officers opened an investigation into a drug trafficking organization led by Guyette. Prosecutors said Guyette conspired with Garza, Boddie, and others to traffic various drugs — including methamphetamine, fentanyl pills, and cocaine, in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and elsewhere.

According to prosecutors, the drug trafficking organization used the mail to ship drugs from Arizona to Massachusetts, often hiding them inside children's toy packages.

Between May and October 2022, investigators seized seven packages containing more than 900 grams of methamphetamine, thousands of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, as well as suspected Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a strong psychedelic drug.

"Fentanyl and methamphetamine are serious, lethal threats to the well-being of our communities," U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said. "My office and our law enforcement partners will continue to identify drug traffickers and stop the flow of illegal drugs into Massachusetts, where they cause pain and destruction."

Guyette, Garza, and Boddie were charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.

Guyette was arrested on Feb. 8 and was detained following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston.

When Guyette was arrested, police seized about 15 pounds of methamphetamine and thousands of fentanyl pills weighing more than 400 grams from a safe in her bedroom, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said police also seized a digital scale as well as several Rhode Island and Massachusetts driver’s licenses, Social Security cards, and credit cards in the names of other people

A second search resulted in the seizure of two ghost guns, a 3-D printer used to print ghost gun components, about 150 grams of methamphetamine, and 10 different driver’s licenses, each bearing Boddie’s photo with names and addresses of other people, prosecutors said.

Boddie was arrested on Feb. 6 and is being held in state custody in connection to Rhode Island state charges. Boddie will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date. Prosecutors said the arrest came after a traffic stop, where police seized a ghost handgun with five rounds of ammunition, an empty 9 mm magazine, and a 10-round magazine with one bullet loaded.

According to prosecutors, Boddie tried to swallow a plastic bag containing 20 grams of methamphetamine when officers searched him.

Garza was arrested on Feb. 10 in the Southern District of California and was detained pending a detention hearing. He will also appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

"Operation Raising Arizona has dealt a significant blow to a drug trafficking organization that we believe is responsible for operating nationwide, flooding communities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island with highly addictive and deadly narcotics," FBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph Bonavolonta said. "All three individuals we’ve removed from the street are accused of being prolific drug dealers who thrived on selling drugs and believed they could pull the wool over the eyes of investigators by hiding their product inside toys and other common household items. The violence associated with the illegal drug trade, as illustrated by our seizure of multiple ghost guns, is a threat to our communities, and the FBI and our partners are committed to working together across jurisdictions to take down criminals who insist on bringing their harmful business to our neighborhoods."

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of three-to-20 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million.