A Braintree man was sentenced in Boston federal court Monday, June 1, for leading a large-scale drug trafficking organization that distributed fentanyl sourced from Latin America.
Jonathan “Jacha” Melendez Decatro received the minimum sentence under federal guidelines of 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl on Jan. 30. He was indicted in June 2023.
During an investigation that began in 2019, Melendez Decatro was identified as the leader of a large-scale fentanyl and cocaine trafficking organization in the Brockton area that sourced drugs directly from Colombia, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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Packages intended for Melendez Decatro containing a kilogram (around 2.2 pounds) of cocaine each were intercepted by law enforcement twice in 2021.
Prosecutors said Melendez Decatro also conspired several times in the spring of 2023 with a Dominican Republic resident to distribute 1.5 kilograms of fentanyl to another person in Braintree.
The purity of the fentanyl exceeded 50% and also contained xylazine, a tranquilizer used by veterinarians, according to the news release, which also said more than $10,000 in drug proceeds and clothing worn during the fentanyl transactions were recovered in a search of Melendez Decatro’s home.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Braintree man led Brockton drug ring that sold fentanyl, cocaine