A Dominican national residing in the Bronx, New York, has entered a guilty plea in a federal court in Boston. Jairo Collazo, 36, admitted to his involvement in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy that operated from the Bronx and supplied Massachusetts with fentanyl mixed with xylazine.
Collazo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances involving 400 grams or more of fentanyl. The U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns has set sentencing for September 17, 2025. Collazo was initially charged by criminal complaint in April 2024 before being indicted.
Court documents reveal that Collazo managed a fentanyl distribution hub from a basement in the Bronx, distributing the drug to various locations including Boston and Fitchburg in Massachusetts; Springfield, Massachusetts; Syracuse, New York; and Vermont. Collazo referred to his accomplices as "employees" who helped package fentanyl into glassine wax paper bags for sale. He made two trips to Massachusetts in December 2023 and January 2024 to deliver fentanyl to an informant cooperating with law enforcement. A search on April 12, 2024, at the Bronx location uncovered packaged fentanyl ready for distribution along with materials used for cutting the drug with other substances and bottles of xylazine. Over two kilograms of fentanyl were seized from Collazo.
In 2021, according to court records, Collazo had pleaded guilty in New York Supreme Criminal Court for criminal possession of heroin and received a two-year prison sentence.
The charge against Collazo carries a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years up to life imprisonment, along with at least five years up to lifetime supervised release and a potential fine of $10 million. As he lacks lawful status in the United States, he faces deportation after serving any imposed sentence. Sentencing will be determined based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division. The Fitchburg Police Department and Boston Police Department provided significant assistance during the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel R. Feldman is handling the prosecution.
