Dorchester Counterfeit Pill Kingpin Sentenced to 6 Years

A Dominican Republic man residing in Dorchester has been sentenced to six years in prison for trafficking multiple kilograms of counterfeit pills, including pills that contained fentanyl, through the mail.

Rahelin Reynoso, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to six years in prison and two years of supervised release. In November 2023, Reynoso pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Between September 2022 and November 2022, Reynoso worked at a pill press location in Mattapan, Mass. manufacturing counterfeit pills, including pills containing fentanyl, that were then counted, packaged and shipped to locations throughout the United States.

In November 2022, a search of the apartment where Reynoso worked resulted in over 20 kilograms of pills in various colors, over 20 kilograms of loose powder, numerous packages and mailing labels and three industrial grade pill presses being recovered. In total, over 12 kilograms of fentanyl were found in the apartment as well as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston Police Department; Massachusetts State Police; United States Customs and Border Protection; Drug Enforcement Administration; and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Mackenzie Duane and Jennifer Zacks of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Reynoso’s sentence is a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of counterfeit pill trafficking. As our investigation revealed, these pills often contain lethal doses of fentanyl, leading to overdose deaths and destruction of families. The efforts of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors in this case have brought a major player in this deadly trade to justice, and we urge the public to remain vigilant in reporting suspicious activity.