Man convicted of running South Shore drug ring sentenced to prison

Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Division, described Amado and his crew as “a crime spree unto itself.”

“As the leader of this massive drug trafficking operation that brought in and sold multi-kilo quantities of fentanyl and cocaine, protected by high-capacity firearms, Mr. Amado could have cared less about the raging opioid crisis in this area,” Cohen said. in the statement. “The FBI’s Metro Boston Gang Task Force worked with our law enforcement partners on the South Shore to handle this case that resulted in Amado being sent to prison for the next three decades, and we are all pleased to see it done.” One prolific criminal is finally being held accountable.”

The investigation found that the drugs gang operated from a stash house in Weymouth, which was “essentially a drug factory – with two presses used to convert controlled substances into kilo bricks and extensive drug paraphernalia including blenders, digital scales, cutting tools, a money counter and packaging equipment,” Levy’s office said in the statement.

The stash house also contained more than 20 pounds of fentanyl, fentanyl analog and cocaine, as well as three firearms and ammunition, including two high-capacity magazines and a speed loader, Levy’s office said.

Amado was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2022, along with co-defendants Erica Vieira, Neylton Fontes and Chaasad Cyprien.

Fontes pleaded guilty in May 2024 and was sentenced to two years in prison and three years of supervised release; Cyprien pleaded guilty in April 2024 and was sentenced to two years in prison and three years of supervised release; and Vieira pleaded guilty in May and is expected to be sentenced on March 24, 2025, Levy’s office said.

Emily Sweeney can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @emilysweeney and on Instagram @emilysweeney22.