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Southbridge man convicted of alleged fentanyl and cocaine trafficking

SOUTHBRIDGE, Mass. (WWLP) – A federal jury convicted a man from Southbridge for allegedly distributing cocaine and fentanyl throughout North Shore and Central Massachusetts. Ismael Maysonet, 40, was charged alongside 21 other co-conspirators in September 2022 for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Maysonet was convicted of these charges on Tuesday. Three Springfield residents arrested after drug complaint on Heyward Street Investigators identified Maysonet as a member of a Southbridge-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) during the time of August 2021 through August 2022. Charging documents stated that the DTO regularly used the U.S. mail to distribute drugs to and from Puerto Rico, Florida, and elsewhere. These activities were allegedly performed at the request of the organization leaders, Johnathan Pizarro Gonzalez and Isaac Gonzalez. Investigators intercepted calls from Maysonet to hear him discussing drug trafficking, payments, pickups, and packaging fentanyl to send to Florida. During the investigation, law enforcement was able to seize about 9 kilograms of cocaine and 800 grams of fentanyl in packages from the DTO. Johnathan Pizzaro Gonzalez and Isaac Gonzalez both pleaded guilty in January 2025 and are scheduled to be sentenced on April 29 and May 12, respectively. Maysonet now awaits sentencing imposed by a federal district court judge. The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams of cocaine and/or fentanyl provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to life in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $10 million. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.