BOSTON – A ruthless gang member has been brought to justice after being sentenced to eight years in prison for his role in a large-scale kidnapping and drug conspiracy.
Steven Rios, 25, of North Andover, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani for conspiring to commit kidnapping and conspiracy to distribute Suboxone.
In October 2022, Rios pleaded guilty to the charges, which stemmed from a massive investigation that intercepted communications between Gangster Disciples’ leaders, members, and drug suppliers in Lawrence, Haverhill, and Methuen.
The investigation, which began in August 2020, revealed that the gang was distributing fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and Suboxone in Massachusetts, Maine, and southern New Hampshire, as well as into the Essex County Jail.
Rios was also accused of conspiring to kidnap and assault a marijuana supplier from Maine, who had allegedly stolen one of Rios’s breeding dogs and owed him a drug debt.
According to investigators, Rios was intercepted in phone calls planning to smuggle Suboxone into the Essex County Jail, where he was arrested after attempting to swallow the drugs. Jail officials were able to seize the Suboxone from Rios after several days at the hospital.
U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins, Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and John E. Mawn Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement, praising the work of the Essex County Sheriff’s Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of Rollins’ Organized Crime & Gang Unit.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, which uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach to identify, disrupt, and dismantle high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States.
The case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through community-based initiatives and focused enforcement priorities.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations, and the remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Related Federal Cases
- Steven Rios, Conspiracy to Distribute Suboxone, Massachusetts 2022 · Rhode Island
- Maine Woman Pleads Guilty in North Shore Drug Conspiracy · Washington
- Peter Belony, Wire Fraud Conspiracy, Massachusetts 2019 · Washington
- Jose Nunez, Oxycodone Distribution Conspiracy, NH 2024 · Washington
- Maine Man Gets Life Sentence for Meth Trafficking Conspiracy · Washington
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Organized Crime|Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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