BOSTON — A Lawrence man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to a drug charge after he was caught carrying a bag containing 10,000 counterfeit Percocet pills out of a residence in Methuen investigators say was the site of a drug manufacturing ring involving counterfeit pills.
Joshua Morales, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced on Tuesday, March 17, 2026.
U.S. Senior District Court Judge Patti Saris scheduled Morales’ sentencing for June 12, 2026. Morales was initially charged in August 2025.
According to the charging documents, police observed Morales enter a residence in Methuen and leave carrying a large orange bag. Investigators had identified the residence as an alleged drug distribution and manufacturing location, according to court records.
While he was under surveillance, Morales then drove to a location in Lawrence, where he was taken into custody. During a subsequent search of his vehicle, investigators recovered 10,000 counterfeit Percocet pills believed to contain fentanyl.
During a search of the Methuen residence, investigators located an automated pill press, multiple kilograms of counterfeit Adderall and Percocet pills believed to contain fentanyl and methamphetamine, and numerous items used in the pill manufacturing process, including cutting agents, blenders, scales, bowls, and bags containing suspected fentanyl and methamphetamine powders and binding agents.
The charge of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to life of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley, Ted E. Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, and Methuen Police Chief Scott J. McNamara announced the guilty plea last Tuesday.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said the investigation received valuable assistance from the Essex County District Attorney’s Office, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, Peabody Police Department, Lawrence Police Department, and Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
