BOSTON – A Hyannis man pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Boston in connection with trafficking heroin and suboxone with Denzel Chisholm and the “Nauti-Block” gang.
Tyrone Gomes, 31, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, possession of heroin with the intent to distribute, and conspiracy to distribute suboxone.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for July 25, 2017.
Chisholm’s arraignment is set for April 13, 2017, in U.S. District Court in Boston.
Christine Ferreira, 28, of Hyannis was killed at the Route 6 eastbound rest stop between Exits 6 and 7 in September of 2015.
Both Gomes and Chisholm are also facing charges in Massachusetts state court related to the September 2015 murder of Christine Ferreira at a rest stop on Route 6 on Cape Cod.
In October 2015, spurred by the murder of Ferreira, law enforcement initiated an effort to address the rising opioid epidemic and its subsequent violence in Massachusetts and on Cape Cod in particular.
According to court documents, Chisholm, Gomes, and other co-conspirators were responsible for a significant quantity of the heroin distributed on Cape Cod. A wiretap investigation led to their arrests and indictments.
Gomes received large quantities of heroin from Chisholm, which he sold to other drug dealers and individual users. On March 6, 2016, Chisholm arranged to sell Gomes 12 grams of heroin in exchange for cash and 10 suboxone strips.
The suboxone was ultimately destined for Browning Mejia, an inmate at MCI-Norfolk and an associate of Chisholm. As a result of the investigation, agents were able to stop Gomes’ vehicle and recover 12 grams of heroin from Gomes.
Because Gomes has a prior felony drug conviction from 2010, the charge of conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to a lifetime in prison, a minimum of eight years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $8 million.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute suboxone, a Schedule III controlled substance, provides for a term of imprisonment of up to 30 years, a minimum of four years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million.
The charge of possession of heroin with the intent to distribute provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, a minimum of six years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $2 million.
Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
