BOSTON – Emil Dzabiev, a 44-year-old resident of Scarborough, Maine, was sentenced to 121 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for his involvement in a large-scale drug trafficking operation. The sentencing took place in federal court in Boston and was overseen by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton.
During the investigation, authorities seized over 160 pounds of pure methamphetamine, an AK-47, a Glock pistol without a serial number, two loaded Smith & Wesson handguns, and more than 4,200 rounds of ammunition. Additionally, law enforcement dismantled an illegal marijuana grow operation that contained hundreds of marijuana plants.
In June 2024, Dzabiev pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess methamphetamine.
His arrest in July 2021 was part of a larger operation that netted seven others, with an additional three defendants added to the indictment in September 2021.
The investigation uncovered Reshat Alkayisi as a major methamphetamine trafficker in New England, who was distributing multi-pound quantities of the drug.
Dzabiev was identified as one of Alkayisi’s regular customers, frequently purchasing methamphetamine for redistribution in Maine. In May 2021, Dzabiev was apprehended after meeting with Alkayisi and found with approximately 455 grams of pure methamphetamine in his vehicle.
Alkayisi pleaded guilty in April 2024 and was sentenced to 23 years in prison in September 2024. Dzabiev is the eighth defendant to be sentenced in this case, with all remaining defendants having pleaded guilty and awaiting sentencing.
The case was announced by Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy, along with Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s New England Field Division.
The investigation received valuable assistance from various local law enforcement agencies and is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces operation, which aims to disrupt and dismantle high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alathea Porter and Katherine Ferguson of the Criminal Division are handling the prosecution.