BOSTON – Melvin Difo, 31, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, is staring down a potential multi-year prison sentence after admitting to a trifecta of serious federal crimes: drug trafficking and illegal firearm possession. Difo pleaded guilty today in Boston’s federal court, bringing an end – for now – to a case that exposed a significant narcotics operation in the Merrimack Valley.
According to court documents, Difo copped to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, heroin, and oxycodone; one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone; and, crucially, one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. The feds started sniffing around Difo’s operation back in the fall of 2015, learning he was sourcing oxycodone from an undisclosed supplier. They then deployed confidential sources who made multiple controlled purchases – meaning Difo was openly peddling poison.
The investigation escalated in August 2016 with the execution of two federal search warrants. The first raid hit Difo’s home, turning up a firearm – a significant problem given his prior felony status. The second raid targeted his business, and that’s where things got truly ugly. Investigators seized approximately 40 grams of heroin, a hefty 100 grams of cocaine, and a staggering 860 oxycodone pills. That’s enough to fuel a serious addiction epidemic, and Difo was allegedly at the center of it.
The potential penalties are substantial. The possession with intent to distribute charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in the slammer, plus a minimum of three years – and potentially a lifetime – of supervised release, and a $1 million fine. The conspiracy charge also carries a 20-year maximum, a minimum three-year supervised release, and a $1 million fine. Adding insult to injury, the firearm charge carries up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. However, Judge Douglas P. Woodlock will ultimately determine the sentence based on federal guidelines and other factors.
Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb and Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Field Division, jointly announced Difo’s guilty plea. They praised the collaborative effort of the Massachusetts State Police and Lawrence Police Department, whose work was instrumental in bringing Difo to justice. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Rosen, of Weinreb’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit, is leading the prosecution.
Difo is scheduled to be sentenced on September 6, 2017. Until then, he remains a free man – a temporary reprieve for a dealer who preyed on the vulnerable. Grimy Times will be in the courtroom when the judge hands down the sentence, bringing you the full story of justice served (or not) in this case. Expect a significant sentence; federal courts rarely show leniency to those dealing in deadly narcotics and illegally possessing firearms.
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Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Weapons|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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