Christopher Riley, Cocaine Conspiracy, Massachusetts 2023

BOSTON – A large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy that spread across Massachusetts and Maine has claimed another guilty plea. Easton resident Christopher Riley, 40, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine in the region.

According to the investigation, Riley was part of a gang that distributed fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and Suboxone in Massachusetts, Maine, and southern New Hampshire, as well as into the Essex County Jail. The investigation intercepted phone calls between Riley and other gang members, which revealed their plan to distribute cocaine in Massachusetts and Maine.

Riley was charged in November 2021, alongside 12 other individuals, in connection with the large-scale drug conspiracy centered around the Gangster Disciples in Lawrence, Haverhill, and Methuen. The investigation, which began in August 2020, was a collaborative effort between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins, Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and John E. Mawn, Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement. The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency provided valuable assistance in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of Rollins’ Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

Riley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute cocaine before U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani. His sentencing is scheduled for June 13, 2023.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, which aims to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States. The OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

This case is also a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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