Shirley Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Fentanyl and Methamphetamine

BOSTON – A Shirley man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to conspiring to traffic large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Noel Haro, 49, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl; two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; aiding and abetting; and one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl; aiding and abetting. U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for June 5, 2025. In April 2023, Noel Haro was indicted along with his brother Marcos Haro.

Noel Haro is a member and influential leader of the “Border Brothers” gang – a large-scale international gang known to be heavily involved in drug, weapon and human trafficking in Southern Arizona with a presence in Nogales, Mexico and the Arizona prison system. Noel Haro is currently serving a life sentence at a Massachusetts Department of Correction facility in connection with convictions in Arizona for drug distribution, conspiracy and money laundering.

Noel Haro was previously serving his sentence at a facility in Arizona but was transferred to serve his sentence in Massachusetts upon being deemed a security concern due to his alleged influence over other inmates and repeated introduction of cell phones and narcotics into Arizona facilities.

Beginning in or about April 2019, and investigation began into Noel Haro’s attempts to facilitate the trafficking of narcotics to Massachusetts during his inmate phone calls. Specifically, during his inmate calls, Noel Haro attempted to solicit friends and family members to transport narcotics from Arizona to Massachusetts on his behalf. In April 2022, recorded inmate calls indicated that Noel Haro worked with his brother, Marcos Haro, to allegedly arrange drug deals outside of prison.

In June 2022, Marcos Haro allegedly agreed to supply an individual with samples of multiple narcotics – including fentanyl and methamphetamine. It is alleged that Marcos Haro later mailed the narcotics to the individual concealed in a purple teddy bear inside a postal package. It is alleged that, on July 13, 2022, the package was retrieved and found to contain fentanyl, five fentanyl pills, methamphetamine and approximately 3 grams of black tar heroin. On July 25, 2022, during a recorded inmate call, Noel Haro and Marcos Haro allegedly discussed selling one pound of methamphetamine to the same individual and agreed on a sale price of $5,000. It is alleged that, on July 27, 2022, a package sent from Marcos Haro was retrieved and found to contain approximately 446.6 grams of 99% pure methamphetamine.

During a recorded inmate call on Aug. 10, 2022, Noel Haro allegedly directed Marcos Haro to arrange the sale of five pounds of methamphetamine to the individual. Later, on Sept. 12, 2022, two packages allegedly sent from Marcos Haro were retrieved and each found to contain approximately 892.3 grams of 86% pure methamphetamine and approximately 1,320.2 grams of 95% pure methamphetamine.

Marcos Haro is scheduled to plead guilty on March 19, 2025.

The charge conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charges of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; aiding and abetting each provide for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl; aiding and abetting provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley, Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division and Shawn Jenkins, Commissioner of the Department of Correction’s made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alathea E. Porter and Charles Dell’Anno of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.