Richard Nguyen, 30, of Lowell, Convicted of Methamphetamine Trafficking

BOSTON – In a five-day jury trial, a federal court convicted Richard Nguyen, a/k/a “Cheese,” a/k/a “Cheeseburger,” of drug trafficking charges related to the distribution of homemade methamphetamine pills, branded as “Adderall.”

Nguyen, an associate of the Asian Boyz gang, was found guilty of two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

According to the investigation, Nguyen was part of a large drug distribution network that profited from the sale of thousands of counterfeit Adderall pills containing methamphetamine. Between March 2022 and January 2025, Nguyen and other defendants sold counterfeit Adderall pills to undercover officers and cooperating witnesses working with law enforcement on 47 different occasions.

Evidence presented at trial established that Nguyen sold counterfeit Adderall pills to a cooperating witness at least three times between January 2024 and April 2024. Nguyen directed the cooperating witness to meet him at his home, where he negotiated the deals using an Instagram account, “Cheese.”

Nguyen sold the cooperating witness approximately 1,000 pills during the first deal and 2,000 pills during the next two deals. Nguyen negotiated the price of $0.80 per pill, explaining that he could only get the pills for $0.70 per pill.

Nguyen faces a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $10 million.

Nguyen was arrested in January 2025 and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 26, 2026.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence in communities.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, which is a federal program that brings together law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to disrupt and dismantle large-scale drug trafficking organizations.

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