BOSTON — A national of the Dominican Republic residing in Dorchester was sentenced June 3 after a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England-led investigation found he was trafficking kilograms of counterfeit pills, including pills that contained fentanyl, through the mail.
Rahelin Reynoso, 34, was sentenced to six years in prison and two years of supervised release. In November 2023, Reynoso pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
HSI’s investigation found that between September 2022 and November 2022, Reynoso worked at a pill press location in Mattapan manufacturing counterfeit pills that were then counted, packaged and shipped to locations throughout the United States.
In November 2022, HSI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service special agents searched the apartment where Reynoso worked and found over 20 kilograms of pills in various colors, over 20 kilograms of loose powder, numerous packages and mailing labels, and three industrial grade pill presses. Over 12 kilograms of fentanyl were found in the apartment, as well as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.
HSI New England Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol, Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division Ketty Larco-Ward made the announcement June 3. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
About HSI
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce consists of over 10,000 employees, assigned to 235 offices within the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI's international presence represents the Department of Homeland Security’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.