At just 13, a Massachusetts boy turned to alcohol and marijuana. By 15, he was hooked on heroin. Now, three decades later, the scars of that addiction run deep — and at 39, he’s been sentenced to federal prison for his role in a Massachusetts-based drug ring.
Brian Gingras, also known as “Cheech,” was sentenced June 4 to nine years in prison. Gringas pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine.
Gingras’ “first encounter with the criminal justice system was in 2003, when he was 17 years old. The next 20 years of Defendant’s life would be an uninterrupted parade of arrests and criminal court cases,” court documents state. “Most of these cases did not result in convictions, but the records illustrate in stark relief Defendant’s unwillingness or inability to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law.”
In 2019, Gingras’ parents bought him a home. Three years later, investigators searched that home “finding substantial evidence of Defendant’s crimes.”
Investigators also said the “unkempt home” was “in disarray.”
“Drugs were found in nearly every room of the house, some of which were clearly being used,” court documents state. “Defendant himself appeared to be in distress, and he was removed from the scene in an ambulance.”
Thousands of “particularly dangerous imitations” of Adderall pills that were supplied by a Massachusetts gang looked like the real pills but were filled with a compound of methamphetamine and caffeine. The pills had become increasingly popular and prevalent in Lowell.
They were similar in shape, size, and appearance to genuine Adderall but were typically pressed with methamphetamine by local drug traffickers using pill presses, court documents state.
Gingras was the source of the pills and other drugs, such as cocaine and counterfeit “Xanax bars,” to the Asian Boyz gang, according to court documents. He was distributing wholesale quantities of cocaine and various illicit pills.
He had all the equipment necessary to produce the pills himself, including an industrial pill press, which is legal in the U.S. The machines are largely unregulated and available for purchase online. In the garage, officials found a broken pill press covered in drug residue.
Historically, pill presses were used in the pharmaceutical profession and by people who make their own dietary supplements, such as bodybuilders or naturopaths.
A pill press and catch basin seized during a DEA operation in Massachusetts.Sebastian Restrepo
Gingras also maintained a large quantity of the drugs at a commercial storage facility, court documents state. Inside the storage unit, officials found 250 grams of methamphetamine pills, over 1 kilogram of etizolam pills, bags of suspected marijuana, boxes of THC extract and edible products and over 30 kilograms of caffeine pills that looked identical to the counterfeit “Adderall” pills made with methamphetamine.
Bill Phim, also known as “Bonez,” of the Asian Boyz gang, told an undercover officer that he coordinated the supply of methamphetamine pills with other Asian Boyz gang members and associates, including Gingras. Between May 2022 and September 2022, officials said Gingras met with Phim prior to planned deals to personally deliver pills.
In total, Gingras supplied Phim with about 5,200 pills during this time period, consisting of over 1.6 kilograms (3.5 pounds) of methamphetamine, court documents read. Gingras sold the pills for about $1 per pill.
“Phim, in turn, re-sold the pills to the undercover officer for a significant profit, at the price of $3.50 per pill,” court documents read.
Phim, 37, of Lowell, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He will then be on five years of supervised release.
Between February 2022 and April 2022, Erickson Dao, also known as “Silent,” 32, of Lowell, delivered the counterfeit pills to Phim at least five times. Phim then sold the pills to an undercover federal agent for more than $11,000.
On 12 different dates in 2022, Phim sold these counterfeit “Adderall” pills to an undercover agent. In total, Phim sold the undercover agent over 10,000 pills for more than $36,000.
Chemical testing confirmed that the pills were a dangerous compound of methamphetamine and caffeine. When investigators searched Dao’s residence, they discovered thousands more counterfeit “Adderall” pills and large quantities of cocaine.
Gingras was seen making “brief visits” to the back door of Dao’s house, “where Dao routinely engaged in drug transactions,” court documents state.
Dao was sentenced to more than seven years in prison. He will then be on four years of supervised release.
Gingras said he was not part of the Asian Boyz gang. However, court documents state he was highly associated with them, including knowing one of the leaders.
After the seizure of the drugs, investigators suspected that they had completely disrupted Gingras drug operation.
Over Facebook Messenger, another suspected Asian Boyz gang member Samnang Son, or “Smiley,” told Gingras that he was “poor.” Gingras responded, “Me too. I went from balling to crawling.”
“Defendant’s response was revealing, capturing his state of mind in the immediate aftermath of the demise of his own illicit drug operation,” court documents read.
When officials went to arrest Gingras the next day, they found him at a location in Lowell that is “frequented by drug addicts and known as a place to obtain and use illicit drugs.”
Court documents state his addiction and mental health issues were considered when deciding his sentence. However, court documents state, “this case suggests that Defendant even embraced a life of crime.”
Officials hopes the nine years in prison gives Gingras “significant opportunity to participate in the programming available,” including Bureau of Prison’s Residential Drug Abuse Program.
