A Saugus man has been sentenced in Boston federal court for a drug conspiracy involving tens of thousands of counterfeit pills and a firearm offense. Aaron Lenardis, aged 38, received a 15-year prison sentence, followed by five years of supervised release, as issued by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin. Lenardis was convicted in November 2024 by a federal jury for multiple charges, including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute significant quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl. He was also charged with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.
The investigation, which began in August 2022, centered around co-conspirator Charles Bates. Bates had ordered 50 kilograms of an orange binding agent used in making counterfeit Adderall pills. Bates collected the binding agent from a UPS store in Boston and brought it to Lenardis’s residence in Saugus, where both individuals used a pill press to manufacture the counterfeit pills.
During September and October of 2022, Bates communicated with drug customers and associates regarding the production of the counterfeit pills. He detailed the meticulous process in making the pills at Lenardis’s house, ensuring quality through extensive use of the pill press, producing 5,000 pills per hour. In total, the operation yielded around 136,000 counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine.
When the pill press broke, Bates traveled to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, to procure a replacement and returned to continue the production at Lenardis’s residence. A search of Lenardis’s residence on October 25, 2022, led to the discovery of an industrial pill press, 14 firearms, 1.85 kilograms of methamphetamine-containing pills, 87.6 grams of pills and powder containing fentanyl, and “M30” stamps used for counterfeiting.
Charles Bates was sentenced in November 2024, receiving a 10-year prison sentence followed by five years of supervised release.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley, alongside Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division, announced the details. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel R. Feldman and Charles Dell’Anno from the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit.
