Bean Town Times

A Springfield woman has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to charges related to a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Denise Guyette, 31, was charged with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine.

Guyette was initially charged in February 2023 alongside Gerardo Garza, also known as "Oso," from Yuma, Arizona, and Nathan Boddie from Pawtucket, Rhode Island. A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment in June 2023 attributing the specified quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine to Guyette.

The investigation into the drug trafficking organization (DTO) began around April 2022. Guyette conspired with Garza, Boddie, and others to traffic various controlled substances including methamphetamine, fentanyl pills, and cocaine across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and other locations. The DTO frequently used mail services to ship drugs from Arizona to Massachusetts, concealing them within packages containing children's items such as toy trucks and Halloween decorations. Between May and October 2022, investigators intercepted seven packages containing over 900 grams of methamphetamine and thousands of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl.

Upon her arrest on February 8, 2023, authorities found approximately 6.5 kilograms of pure methamphetamine and over 2,700 counterfeit fentanyl pills weighing over 300 grams in a safe in Guyette's bedroom. They also discovered a digital scale along with multiple driver’s licenses, Social Security cards, and credit cards under different names during the search.

Both Boddie and Garza have pleaded guilty. Boddie was sentenced on September 19, 2023, receiving an 84-month prison term followed by three years of supervised release.

The charge against Guyette carries a potential sentence ranging from at least ten years up to life imprisonment along with supervised release for five years up to life and fines up to $10 million. Sentences are determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Boston Division; Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction; and Hudson Police Chief Richard DiPersio announced the plea today. Assistance came from several agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration; FBI offices in Imperial County and Yuma; United States Postal Service; Massachusetts State Police; and Woonsocket Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alathea Porter and Charles Dell’Anno are prosecuting this case as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations through multi-agency collaboration.

Further information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.