Leading Member of Greater Taunton Drug Organization Sentenced to State Prison

FALL RIVER (WBSM) — A Taunton man who the Bristol County District Attorney called a “leading member” of a local drug trafficking organization has been sentenced to up to eight and a half years in state prison on gun and drug charges.

D.A. Thomas M. Quinn III announced that Joshua Nazario, 35, of Taunton, pleaded guilty on May 15 in Fall River Superior Court to the charges. He was sentenced to serve five years to eight and a half years in state prison, followed by one year of probation.

The charges date back to March 2020, when Massachusetts State Police began investigating a drug trafficking organization in the Taunton area.

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Investigators were granted court-approved wiretaps and monitored phone calls in both January and April of 2022, which led to the execution of multiple search warrants. Nazario was one of the initial targets of the investigation.

Wiretaps Expose the Taunton 'Point House'

Investigators determined Nazario lived at 62 Shores Road, Apartment 1 in Taunton with his girlfriend and co-defendant. “During court approved monitoring of the (Nazario’s) phone, both he and his girlfriend/co-defendant were recorded speaking of trafficking weight narcotics and selling narcotics,” the D.A.’s Office said. “The house at 62 Shores Road was determined to be the ‘point house’ of the larger drug trafficking organization, where many sales took place.”

The Raid and Jailhouse Contraband

Police executed a search warrant at the address on April 27, 2022, and seized a firearm, a large capacity feeding device, ammunition, approximately 160 grams of fentanyl, 17 grams of oxycodone pills and 48 grams of cocaine. Nazario was at work at the time of the raid but was arrested a few hours later. He was held in custody for about two years before being released for 60 days in 2024 after posting bail.

READ MORE: Bristol County Operation Busts Massive Fentanyl Dealing Ring

Nazario returned to jail on August 5, 2024, after his bail was surrendered by the surety. A few days after returning to jail, Nazario was found in possession of K2 and suboxone that he had brought back into the jail.

D.A. Quinn on the Drug Ring Conviction

“The defendant was convicted of selling large amounts of fentanyl and cocaine as a part of a state police investigation in the greater Taunton area. The investigation lasted approximately two years and involved court approved wiretaps,” Quinn said. “The defendant has a prior conviction for drug dealing and also brought contraband, including drugs into the jail after a short period of release. He was one of the leading members of the drug trafficking organization who was identified during the investigation.”