Massachusetts Man Indicted Over Alleged Synthetic Opioid Sales Mailed in Snack Bags
Federal prosecutors allege Jaden Zion Andre, 23, of Rockland ran an online opioid business; one indicted count ties an alleged shipment to a Las Vegas woman's death. The indictment's details are allegations.
A federal grand jury has indicted Jaden Zion Andre, 23, of Rockland, Mass., on charges that he ran an online drug trafficking business selling potent synthetic opioids through the U.S. mail, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts announced on Aug. 19, 2026.
Andre was indicted on one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance analogue resulting in death; three counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance analogue; and four counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. The details contained in the charging document are allegations, and Andre is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
According to the charging documents, Andre advertised and sold highly potent synthetic opioids and controlled substance analogues through online accounts and forums, including a Telegram channel called "MontanaSnacksLLC," a Proton Mail account called "SnackSeason," and Reddit pages. Customers allegedly communicated with him directly through those accounts to request samples, place orders and arrange payment and shipping. Prosecutors allege he then disguised the drugs inside ordinary snack packaging — including bags of cheese balls, chips, popcorn, rice crisps and Pirate's Booty — and mailed the packages from post offices throughout Massachusetts to customers nationwide.
The count carrying the greatest exposure concerns an April 2025 shipment. Prosecutors allege that a package shipped through MontanaSnacksLLC was delivered that month to a woman in Las Vegas who had requested a narcotics sample. According to the charging documents, she was found dead later that day, and a substance recovered from her bedroom subsequently tested positive for N-pyrrolidino ethylene isotonitazene, an analogue of a Schedule I controlled substance. That account comes from the government's charging documents and has not been tested in court.
The charging documents allege the operation continued through May 2026, with investigators connecting additional packages from MontanaSnacksLLC or SnackSeason to overdose death investigations in Florida, Pennsylvania and Georgia. Those deaths remain under investigation. Numerous other alleged drug shipments were intercepted or purchased during the investigation, prosecutors said, including four packages mailed on May 26, 2026, each containing a controlled substance concealed inside sealed bags of Pirate's Booty.
A subsequent search allegedly recovered electronic records linking Andre to the operation, according to the charging documents, including USPS shipping labels, customer and tracking information, cryptocurrency-related records and photographs of suspected synthetic opioids bearing the "SnackSeason" name.
The charge of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance analogue resulting in death provides for a sentence of no less than 20 years and up to life in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The remaining charges each provide for up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the statutes governing sentencing.
Andre is currently in state custody on unrelated charges and is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston on Aug. 25, 2026.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jeffrey Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Justin Page, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's Boston Division. The office credited assistance from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department; USPIS Las Vegas and Pittsburgh field offices; the FBI's Las Vegas Division; the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in Florida; Pennsylvania State Police; the Butler City Police Department in Pennsylvania; the Richmond Hill Police Department in Georgia; and the Massachusetts State Police. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael E. Robinson of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
The Justice Department said the case was investigated and prosecuted by the Boston Homeland Security Task Force as part of Operation Take Back America. According to the department, such task forces were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, and are joint operations led by the Justice and Homeland Security departments.
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- Version 119 Aug 2026, 21:52current
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