A Worcester resident, Tong Tran, has pleaded guilty in federal court to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. The plea was entered before U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman, who scheduled sentencing for June 4, 2026. Tran, 35, was initially charged in April 2025.
Court documents state that on September 19, 2024, Tran was identified while shipping a package from a Worcester Post Office. Authorities discovered about 2.4 kilograms of orange pills containing methamphetamine hidden inside the packaging of a children’s toy. Investigators found a partial fingerprint on the wrapping materials inside the toy’s box that matched Tran.
A search of Tran’s home on April 14, 2025 resulted in the seizure of a pill press, binding agent, and other equipment used for manufacturing pills such as pill dyes. Law enforcement also seized approximately 3.3 kilograms of methamphetamine and around $8,000 in cash.
The charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to lifetime supervised release, and fines up to $1 million. Sentencing will be determined by the federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes.
“United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Jennifer De La O, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office; Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division; and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today.” Assistance from the Auburn Police Department contributed to this case’s investigation.
“Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin J. Brown of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.”