BOSTON, Mass. (WLNE) — A 63-year-old Turkish national residing in Covington was sentenced to 23 years in prison after an investigation into the distribution of over 660 pounds of methamphetamine. According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, am AK-47, a Glock with no serial number, two loaded Smith & Wesson handguns and over 4,200 rounds of ammunition were seized from the individual’s residence. An illegal marijuana grow operation with hundreds of marijuana plants was also discovered. Reshat Alkayisi was sentenced on Sept. 17 by a U.S. District Court judge to 23 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Alkayisi is the seventh defendant to be sentenced in the case. All remaining defendants have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. In April 2024, Alkayisi pleaded guilty to five counts of a second superseding indictment, charging him with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense; money laundering conspiracy; and two counts of money laundering. In late 2020, Alkayisi was identified as a “large-scale” methamphetamine trafficker, wo distributed multi-pound quantities to distributor customers throughout the New England area. Between October 2020 and April 2021, officials discovered that 12 controlled purchases of methamphetamine were made from the drug trafficking organization—two of which were delivered personally by Alkayisi and one that was negotiated with Alkayisi and delivered by a co-conspirator. The investigation unveiled that Alkayisi supplied multiple distributor customers with supplier quantities of pure methamphetamine. Alkayisi also regularly bragged to these distributors about quality of his methamphetamine, saying, “You’re gonna get nice, big crystals,” and “Ur contacts should b happy with the size of product,” according to officials. “This defendant was one of the largest methamphetamine distributors in New England, whose massive drug operation fueled addiction and devastation across our communities. He is now going to pay a very heavy price for the havoc he wreaked across Massachusetts. This sentencing sends a powerful message to anyone engaged in pumping deadly narcotics onto our streets,” Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy said. “As demonstrated by this prosecution, the dedicated prosecutors and law enforcement partners will be relentless in our efforts to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking operations and ensure that individuals like Mr. Alkayisi are held accountable,” he continued. Categories: News