13-05-2025
Suveillance of WMass. man leads to fentanyl trafficking charge
SPRINGFIELD — After attaching a GPS to his car and trailing him as he traveled to New York City, federal investigators say a Western Massachusetts man trafficked fentanyl in bags branded with names like 'Trump,' 'Top Tier' and 'American Gangster.'
Kristian Morales, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court of Massachusetts in Springfield on Thursday, had allegedly been distributing heroin and fentanyl in Springfield, Chicopee and Holyoke since at least March. Court records showed Morales was arrested that day.
The documents did not detail Morales' age or where he is from.
Linus Nkansah, one of special federal officers with the FBI that was investigating Morales, detailed the bureau's two month investigation into him in a 34-page criminal complaint.
Nkansah said members of the FBI's Western Massachusetts Gang Task Force worked with a cooperating confidential witness to observe Morales as he interacted with the witness and other people and to make controlled purchases.
The FBI also received permission from a federal judge to track Morales' vehicle with a GPS device, according to the complaint. The Massachusetts State Police Air Wing, as part of the investigation, observed Morales as he traveled in the area. At one point, Nkansah followed Morales from Massachusetts to the Bronx, New York, and watched as he met with people there and allegedly handed off drugs to them.
Nkansah said Morales took multiple similar trips to New York and believed he was re-upping his supply of the drugs. Upon returning from New York, the investigator said he and his task force witnessed Morales immediately selling the product.
'Based on my training and experience, it is common and consistent behavior of a drug dealer to make sales immediately following obtaining a re-supply of illegal drugs,' said Nkansah in the complaint.
During the federal investigation, Nkansah said 'more than 40 grams of fentanyl' were involved.
On May 12, Judge Katherine A. Robertson ordered setting the conditions for Morales' release from prison with conditions: He must not break any laws, he must cooperate in giving a DNA sample, he must notify the court if he changes his phone number or address, and he must appear in court at any future hearing.
Morales is being represented by attorney Thomas J. O'Connor, Jr., a public defender for the federal court. O'Connor did not immediately respond to a phone call for comment.
The U.S. is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Newhouse, who also did not respond to a request for comment.
According to that document, Morales has agreed to the terms. His next hearing is scheduled for May 27.
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