BOSTON – A 32-year-old from Massachusetts was sentenced in Boston’s federal court for heading a major drug trafficking organization distributing fentanyl from Latin America.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV sentenced Jonathan Melendez Decatro, alias “Jacha,” to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release. In January 2025, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, following his June 2023 indictment.
Since 2019, Melendez Decatro led a DTO in Brockton, sourcing drugs from Colombia, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. In 2021, law enforcement intercepted two packages destined for him, each containing a kilogram of cocaine. In spring 2023, he conspired with a Dominican Republic contact to distribute 1.5 kilograms of fentanyl, with purity levels of 54% to 79% and containing xylazine, to a Braintree recipient. A search of his home uncovered over $11,000 in drug proceeds and clothing linked to the fentanyl deals.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley, alongside Homeland Security Investigations’ Michael J. Krol, FBI’s Kimberly Milka, and DEA’s Stephen Belleau, announced the sentencing. The DEA in Bogota, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Massachusetts State Police, and Brockton Police Department provided support. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey E. Weinstein prosecuted the case.
This case falls under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces Strike Force Initiative, fostering multi-agency collaboration.
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