BOSTON (WWLP) - A former Virginia inmate was sentenced to prison in connection with distributing drugs and laundering money from Massachusetts. The Department of Justice in Boston reported that between at least December 2019 and May 2021, co-conspirators Sathtra Em and Sarath Yut allegedly helped an inmate at Buckingham Correctional Center in Dillwyn in Virginia, Michael Mao, smuggle MDMA and buprenorphine, in the form of Suboxone and generic Suboxone sublingual films. Massachusetts woman arrested for wrong way driving in New Hampshire A prison guard, Kenneth Owen, was also allegedly paid $1,600 by Em to receive the drugs in the mail and deliver them to Mao. Magazines were also mailed to the prison, allegedly by Em, with Suboxone sublingual films hidden in between pages glued together. It is alleged that Mao sold the drugs to other inmates and Em collected the money by contacting the inmates’ friends and families to receive the electronic payment such as Cash App and Paypal.    In addition, Em bought a home in the Centralville neighborhood of Lowell in 2015 and lived there with Sarath Yut, a regional drug trafficker and a leader of the Lowell-based gang, One Family Clique until 2017. They both agreed to deposit cash proceeds of Yut’s illegal drug trafficking activity into Em’s bank accounts to pay the mortgage. Between October 2016 and January 2021, Em used at least $76,775 of drug proceeds to pay the mortgage for the home. Mao pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute MDMA and Buprenorphine. He was sentenced on Monday to 121 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release. Em, Yut, and Owen pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracies. Yut was sentenced to 15 years in prison and Em 21 months in prison. Owen is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 10th. Local News Headlines Nathan Bill’s raises funds for homeless veterans Sheriffs Association honors western Massachusetts law enforcement Avoiding online schemes this holiday season Holyoke plans to exit school receivership by Fall 2025 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 WWLP.com.