A Rhode Island man was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in federal prison for his role in a national drug trafficking operation that hid drugs, including fentanyl, in toy trucks, Halloween decorations and Disney items, according to the US Attorney’s office for Massachusetts.
Nathan Boddie, 38 of Pawtucket, pleaded guilty in May to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement.
In addition to prison, Boddie was also sentenced to three years of supervised release.
The guilty plea came after he was indicted by a federal grand jury, along with alleged co-conspirators Denise Guyette and Gerardo Garza, in February, prosecutors said.
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Garza pleaded guilty on Aug. 10, to a superseding indictment charging him and Guyette with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, prosecutors said.
Guyette has pleaded not guilty and is pending trial.
Authorities began investigating the three for drug trafficking in April of 2022, prosecutors said. Guyette was the alleged leader of the operation, which trafficked the drugs in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and elsewhere.
The drugs were allegedly shipped from Arizona to Massachusetts and were often hidden inside packages containing children’s items such as toy trucks, Halloween decorations and Disney items, prosecutors said.
“Between May and October 2022, investigators seized seven packages containing a total of over 900 grams of methamphetamine, thousands of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, as well as suspected Dimethyltryptamine– a very strong psychedelic,” prosecutors said. “One such package was destined for Boddie and contained over 200 grams of pure methamphetamine.”
Boddie was arrested following a traffic stop in Rhode Island on Feb. 6, prosecutors said. Authorities found a 9mm ghost gun loaded with five rounds of ammunition, an empty 9mm magazine and a 10-round capable magazine loaded with one round of ammunition inside his vehicle.
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Boddie also tried to swallow a plastic bag containing 20 grams of methamphetamine while he was being searched, prosecutors said.
Investigators also searched his apartment and found two ghost guns, a 3-D printer used to print ghost gun components, prosecutors said. They also found about 120 grams of methamphetamine, and 10 different driver’s licenses featuring Boddie’s photo with names and addresses of other individuals.
“In total, over 16 pounds of methamphetamine and more than 700 grams of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl was seized over the course of the investigation,” prosecutors said.
Adam Sennott can be reached at adam.sennott@globe.com.