Erickson Dao, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Massachusetts 2022

Erickson Dao, a Lowell man, pleaded guilty yesterday to his role in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy with the Asian Boyz street gang.

BOSTON – Dao, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for May 13, 2025.

Dao was a drug supplier in an extensive trafficking network involving Asian Boyz gang member, Bill Phim. Between February 2022 and April 2022, Dao delivered counterfeit pills made to resemble the pharmaceutical product, Adderall, to Phim on at least five occasions. Phim then sold the pills to an undercover federal agent for more than $11,000. Chemical testing confirmed that the pills were not actually Adderall but a dangerous compound of methamphetamine and caffeine, instead. When investigators searched Dao’s residence, they discovered hundreds more counterfeit “Adderall” pills and large quantities of cocaine.

The charges of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine, and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of cocaine, each provide for a sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years and up to life of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Phim has pleaded not guilty and is pending trial.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, the Lowell Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police, and the Billerica, Haverhill, North Andover, and Salem Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred M. Wyshak, III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Erickson Dao’s real full name is Erickson Dao, also known as “Silent.”

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