Arizona Man Pleads Guilty to His Role in Conspiracies to Distribute Fentanyl and Narcotics and to Launder the Proceeds
BOSTON – A Tucson, Arizona man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston in connection with his role in distributing, and laundering the proceeds of, truckloads of fentanyl and cocaine.
Reginel Cazares, a/k/a “Junior,” 37, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances (involving 400 grams or more of fentanyl and five kilograms or more of cocaine) and money laundering conspiracy. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for May 6, 2026. Cazares was indicted on June 13, 2024.
According to court filings, in August 2023, a cooperating witness told law enforcement about an individual he knew as “Junior” – later identified as Cazares – based in Tucson, Ariz., who organized multi-kilogram deliveries of fentanyl and cocaine from California to Massachusetts. The kilograms were driven by tractor trailer from the area of Ontario, Calif., to Massachusetts. In November 2023, and again in December 2023, Cazares directed the cooperating witness to pick up drug proceeds in Massachusetts from two co-defendants, with approximately $600,000 in drug proceeds picked up in Tewksbury, Mass., at Cazares’ direction. On Feb. 16, 2024, Cazares directed the cooperating witness to pick up four kilograms of fentanyl and nine kilograms of cocaine in Ontario, Calif., which were to be driven to Massachusetts and the Carolinas. The narcotics were intercepted by law enforcement.
In 2012, Cazares was convicted of cocaine conspiracy in the District of New Jersey and sentenced to 57 months in prison.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances (involving 400 grams or more of fentanyl and five kilograms or more of cocaine) provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Riverside (Calif.), Bakersfield (Calif.) and Tucson (Ariz.) DEA Offices; San Bernadino County (Calif.) Sheriff’s Department; Inland Regional Narcotics Enforcement Team; the Methuen Police Department; and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel R. Feldman of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
