United States Drug Enforcement Administration

BOSTON – A Southbridge man who served as the chief lieutenant of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed cocaine and fentanyl throughout the North Shore and Central Massachusetts areas has been sentenced in federal court in Worcester.

Ismael Maysonet, 44, of Southbridge, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to 15 years in prison and five years of supervised release. In February 2025, Maysonet was convicted following a six-day jury trial of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. In September 2022, Maysonet was charged along with 21 other co-conspirators. 

In and around August 2021 through August 2022, Maysonet was identified as the chief lieutenant of a Southbridge-based DTO who distributed cocaine and fentanyl to retail customers and other drug dealers at the request of the leaders of the DTO, Jonathan Pizarro Gonzalez and Isaac Gonzalez. The DTO regularly used the United States mail to conduct drug trafficking activities. Specifically, the DTO obtained large quantities of cocaine through packages mailed from Puerto Rico to addresses used by the DTO and mailed packages containing fentanyl to recipients in Florida and elsewhere. 

As chief lieutenant, Maysonet essentially operated as a mid-level manager for the DTO and was involved in every aspect of the organization’s fentanyl and cocaine trafficking operations. Maysonet was responsible for coordinating the receipt of packages of narcotics from Puerto Rico; negotiating with suppliers; transporting fentanyl as well as drug proceeds to and from customers and suppliers; and packaging fentanyl for shipment to Isaac Gonzalez’s residence in Florida for distribution. When a package containing cocaine was seized by law enforcement during the investigation, Maysonet approached mail carriers both on the street and in the post office to inquire about the location of the package.

Furthermore, Maysonet threatened a federal witness in open court during trial in February 2025.

Over the course of the investigation, approximately nine kilograms of cocaine from packages sent through the mail and 800 grams of fentanyl were seized from various DTO members. Maysonet is responsible for distributing over 700 grams of fentanyl and three kilograms of cocaine.

Both Jonathan Pizarro Gonzalez and Isaac Gonzalez pleaded guilty in January 2025.  In June 2025, both defendants were sentenced to 10 years in prison and 15 years in prison, respectively.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Marshals Service, Massachusetts State Police, Southbridge Police Department, Lawrence Police Department, Essex County Sherriff’s Department and Worcester County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen W. Hassink and Samuel R. Feldman of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case. 

This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.