A Lawrence gang member was sentenced Tuesday in Boston federal court for conspiring to commit kidnapping, smuggling drugs into a jail, distributing fentanyl and cocaine and having a gun illegally, federal authorities said.
Justin Suriel, 28, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley said in a statement.
In August, Suriel pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition; conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of cocaine and Suboxone; possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl; distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine; and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, Foley said.
Suriel was charged in November 2021 with 12 other people in connection with a large drug conspiracy centering around the street gang Gangster Disciples in Lawrence, Haverhill and Methuen, Foley said.
Authorities launched an investigation which started in August 2020, Foley said. In their investigation, they got a hold of calls between the leaders of the Gangster Disciples, the gang’s members and drug suppliers. The calls pertained to them distributing fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and Suboxone in Massachusetts, Maine, southern New Hampshire and into the Essex County Jail.
Authorities also got a hold of calls between Suriel and other gang members who conspired to kidnap and assault a Maine marijuana supplier, Foley said.
The intercepted phone calls also uncovered Suriel’s cocaine and fentanyl distribution operation, Foley said. In this operation, he used gangsters to sell drugs throughout Merrimack Valley in Massachusetts.
The calls also showed that Suriel offered to protect his cocaine supplier, Foley said. He said he would “shoot bullets” for anyone who bothered his drug supplier. Authorities also found a loaded gun in Suriel’s home.
Authorities uncovered a Massachusetts man’s drug ring and kidnapping conspiracy through getting a hold of phone calls between gang members and drug suppliers, officials said. Read More
