North Andover Man Gets 8 Years For Conspiracy To Kidnap, Smuggle Drugs

BOSTON, MA — A North Andover man was sentenced to eight years in federal prison this week after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and conspiracy to distribute Suboxone inside the Essex County Jail, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts announced.

Steven Rios, 25, also was sentenced to three years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to the charges in October 2022, according to authorities.

Rios initially was charged in November 2021, along with 12 others, as part of a large drug conspiracy centered on the Gangster Disciples street gang in Lawrence, Haverhill and Methuen.

According to court records, and based on an investigation that began in 2020, gang members allegedly distributed fentanyl, cocaine and suboxone, with drug trafficking activities extending from Massachusetts into Maine and southern New Hampshire as well as into the Essex County Jail.

Charging documents reveal that during the investigation, authorities intercepted phone calls between Rios and other gang members, who conspired to kidnap and assault and marijuana supplier from Maine.

Authorities said the dispute originated from an alleged drug debt and suspicions that the drug supplier had stolen one of Rios' dogs.

Court records also show that additional Rios phone calls were intercepted where Rios allegedly conspired to smuggle Suboxone into the Essex County Jail when he was arrested.

According to authorities, Rios eventually was screened at the jail as he was attempting to smuggle drugs into the correctional facility after swallowing them.

After Rios spent several days in the hospital, jail officials were able to seize Suboxone from Rios, authorities said.