Date: August 10, 2023 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov BOSTON — Six individuals were indicted today by a federal grand jury in Boston for their alleged involvement in a drug trafficking organization that distributed oxycodone pills, obtained from a source in the Houston area, across Southeastern Massachusetts and beyond. The following defendants were indicted on one count each of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and to possess with intent to distribute oxycodone pills. They were previously arrested on July 12, 2023: John Campbell, a/k/a Jizz, of Taunton; Kenneth Veiga of Abington; Michael Atwood of Carver; Austin Gonsalves of Fall River; Scott Lambert of Falmouth; and Christan Russell, a/k/a Christian Russell, a/k/a Bear, of Tomball, Texas. According to the charging documents, an investigation into Campbell began in April 2022 after law enforcement received information that he was allegedly distributing oxycodone pills. Intercepted communications allegedly revealed that Campbell distributed oxycodone pills to Atwood and Lambert, who then re-distributed the pills to others. On Feb. 24, 2023, law enforcement stopped Lambert in Bourne after he allegedly met with Campbell, and 73 oxycodone pills were found hidden in a Krazy Glue container inside the vehicle. It is further alleged that, on multiple occasions, Russell obtained oxycodone pills from pharmacies in the Houston area before travelling to the Boston area and distributing the pills to Veiga, who then re-distributed them to Gonsalves. Specifically, flight records allegedly show that Russell travelled to Boston and met with Veiga in February, March and May 2023 to distribute the pills in various locations, including the Twin River Casino, in Lincoln, R.I. and a Brookline hotel. The charge of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and to possess with intent to distribute oxycodone pills provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. The indictment also includes a drug forfeiture allegation, aiming to seize the following items: a 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLS550; a 2017 BMW X6; over $998,000 in U.S. Currency; an Aero Precision Model X15 Pistol; a Kongsberg Norwegian M1914 Pistol; a Glock 22 .40 Caliber Pistol; and a Taurus .44 Caliber Revolver. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Harry Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigations in Boston; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; John E. Mawn Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; Falmouth Police Chief Jeffrey A. Lourie; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service; the Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office; the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office; and the Barnstable, Dennis, Bourne, Mashpee, Yarmouth and Sandwich Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Mulcahy of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit and Alexandra Amrhein of the Asset Recovery Unit are prosecuting the case. This effort 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. The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
