Man convicted in South Shore drug trafficking operation

A federal jury in Boston convicted a 34-year-old man of leading a drug trafficking conspiracy that involved turning fentanyl and cocaine into brick-shaped kilos in a Weymouth apartment and distributing the drugs on the shore south, said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy. the office said Monday.

The jury returned its verdict Friday, finding Aderito Patrick Amado, of Brockton and Quincy, guilty of more than half a dozen drug and weapons charges, including possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue. , and 500 grams or more of cocaine, prosecutors said.

Amado has three drug convictions in Plymouth Superior Court, records show.

“The Weymouth hideout was, in essence, a drug factory,” Levy’s office said in a statement, with narcotics sold throughout Quincy and Weymouth.

A January 2021 search of the Weymouth property yielded more than 10 kilograms of fentanyl, cocaine and fentanyl analogue; two-kilo presses; mixers; digital scales; packaging equipment; three rifles; two high-capacity magazines; a fast charger; and ammunition, Levy's office said.

A search of Amado's Quincy apartment resulted in the seizure of more than 40 grams of fentanyl, more than $270,000, a money counter and a loaded Glock, according to Levy's office .

Jurors learned at trial that during the investigation into the trafficking ring, Amado was on probation for a state court drug conviction and wore a GPS monitor that placed him at the Weymouth hideout and his apartment in Quincy every day for two months, Levy's office said. .

“This case is emblematic of the fentanyl crisis facing our communities,” Levy said in the release. “Dozens of pounds of illegal drugs, high-capacity firearms, and hundreds of thousands of dollars, all in the hands of a man while he was already on probation for a state drug conviction . Mr. Amado will now pay a heavy price for choosing to spread this poison on the streets of Massachusetts.

Amado was indicted along with three others – Erica Vieira, Neylton Fontes and Chaasad Cyprien – in September 2022. Amado's co-defendants each pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced in July and September.

Amado will be sentenced Oct. 8 before Senior U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young.

“Taking this individual off the street undoubtedly saved lives in our community,” Quincy Police Chief Mark Kennedy said in the release.

Jodi Cohen of the FBI said Amado was part of a conspiracy that sold “several kilogram quantities of dangerous drugs” in southeastern Massachusetts and used illegal weapons in the process.

“Today's sentencing is a victory for the FBI's Metro Boston Gang Task Force, which works with its partners to remove dangerous drugs and criminals from the streets,” said Cohen, special agent in charge of the division of Boston, in the press release. “The ultimate goal here is to free our communities from the clutches of violent drug traffickers who have no regard for the incredible damage they inflict on people's lives. »

Tonya Alanez can be contacted at [email protected]. Am here @talanez.