Stoughton Man Sentenced To Federal Prison Narcotics Trafficking

Sunday, October 27, 2024, 9:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

BOSTON, MA.- On Thursday, a member of a nationwide illicit drug trafficking organization that was responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and other illegal substances throughout Boston and surrounding communities in New England will spend nearly the next decade and a half in federal prison as a consequence of his crimes.

     On Thursday, October 24, 2024, James Holyoke, 43, of Stoughton, Massachusettes, appeared in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusettes and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 168 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release for his previously entered guilty pleas.

     In August 2022, Holyoke appeared in U.S. District Court and pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams of a Mixture Containing Methamphetamine; and six counts of Distribution and Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams of Methamphetamine.

According To Documents Filed With The Court

     According to Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy, In August 2021, Holyoke was arrested following an investigation in which investigators located and seized over 160 pounds of pure methamphetamine, an AK-style rifle, a Glock handgun containing no serial number, two loaded Smith & Wesson handguns and over 4200 rounds of ammunition. Investigators also dismantled an illegal marijuana grow operation in which hundreds of marijuana plants were seized.

     Holyoke has remained in federal custody since his arrest after he was charged along with seven others in an unsealing of a federal indictment in July 2021 and a superseding indictment, charging an additional three defendants.

     In late 2020, Reshat Alkayisi was identified by law enforcement as a large-scale methamphetamine trafficker who distributed multi-pound quantities to customers throughout the New England area. During the ensuing investigation, Holyoke was identified as one of Alkayisi’s leading large-scale distributors who would routinely purchase methamphetamine and redistribute it throughout the Boston area. During the investigation, Holyoke participated in eleven controlled purchases of methamphetamine from a cooperating witness. Those controlled purchases resulted in the seizure of over four kilograms of methamphetamine.

     Alkayis pleaded guilty in April 2024 and was sentenced to 23 years in federal prison in September 2024. Holyoke is the ninth defendant to be sentenced in this case. All remaining defendants have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.