Braintree Man, Drug Trafficking Ring Leader, Pleads Guilty

BRAINTREE, MA — A Braintree man recently pleaded guilty in federal court to a fentanyl conspiracy charge.

Jonathan Melendez Decatro, 32, of Braintree, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for May 12, 2025.

Melendez Decatro reached a plea agreement and will face a sentence of 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release. He was indicted in June 2023.

During an investigation that began in 2019, Melendez Decatro was identified as the leader of a large-scale fentanyl and cocaine trafficking organization (DTO) operating in the Brockton area, who sourced drugs directly from Colombia, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, officials said.

On two dates in 2021, packages intended for Melendez Decatro were intercepted by law enforcement and each found to contain a kilogram of cocaine. Additionally, on several dates in the spring of 2023, Melendez Decatro conspired with an individual who resided in the Dominican Republic to distribute a total of 1.5 kilograms of fentanyl to another person in Braintree. It was later determined that the purity of the fentanyl exceeded 50% and also contained xylazine.

During a search of Melendez Decatro’s residence, over $10,000 in drug proceeds and clothing worn during the fentanyl transactions were recovered.