Gang leader serving life sentences in prison used Monopoly game card to traffic drugs into Mass.

BOSTON — An international gang leader serving four concurrent life sentences for drug trafficking used Monopoly’s “Get out of jail free” card to traffic drugs into Massachusetts from an Arizona prison, the U.S. Attorney said.

Noel Haro, 50, a leader of the “Border Brothers” international gang based in southern Arizona, is now serving his prison sentence in Massachusetts.

He was sentenced Thursday in federal court in Boston for trying to traffic drugs into the Bay State through inmate phone calls while serving four concurrent life sentences, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement.

Authorities said Haro had written codes onto the famed “Get out of jail free” card from the Monopoly board game, and then sent the card in a letter from prison to facilitate the drug trafficking.

Haro was sentenced to 188 months in prison to be served concurrent to the life sentences he is currently serving at the Massachusetts Department of Correction, Foley said.

U.S. Senior District Court Judge William Young handed down Noel Haro’s sentence on Thursday. The court also imposed five years of supervised release.

Haro, who had been serving life sentences in Arizona, was moved to a Massachusetts prison for security reasons after convictions in Arizona for drug distribution, conspiracy and money laundering, Foley said.

He was “deemed a security concern due to his alleged influence over other inmates and repeated introduction of cell phones and narcotics into Arizona facilities,” prosecutors said.

“Even behind bars, Noel Haro continued to direct the operations of an international drug trafficking network and peddle poison into our communities. This level of audacity is precisely why we remain vigilant and aggressive in dismantling drug trafficking networks at every level,” Foley said.

“Our office and our agency partners will not allow prison cells to serve as command centers for criminal activity. We will pursue every lead, intercept every coded message, and hold every conspirator accountable,” Foley said.

On March 11, Haro pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl; two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; aiding and abetting; and one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl; aiding and abetting.

He was indicted in April 2023 along with his brother, Marcos Haro.

THE SCHEME

Noel Haro is a member and leader of the “Border Brothers” gang – a large-scale international gang known to be heavily involved in drug, weapon and human trafficking in southern Arizona with a presence in Nogales, Mexico and the Arizona prison system.

An investigation began around April 2019 into Noel Haro’s attempts to traffic drugs to Massachusetts during his inmate phone calls.

Specifically, during his inmate calls, Noel Haro worked to recruit friends and family members to continue his drug trafficking business while he was incarcerated and to transport drugs from Arizona to Massachusetts on his behalf, prosecutors said.

In April 2022, the Massachusetts Department of Correction intercepted a letter that Noel Haro had sent to co-conspirator Denise Guyette, whom he had recruited and connected with his drug suppliers in Arizona, prosecutors said.

Inside the envelope, a “Get out of jail free” card from the board game Monopoly was found with a handwritten “key” on the back – which was to be used to discuss drug trafficking in code.

For example, the number “736” was written above the word “coke,” the number “747” was written above the word “meth,” the number “766” was written above the word “fety,” and the number “746” was written above the word “heroin,” prosecutors said.

After sending Guyette this key card, Noel Haro instructed her to travel to Arizona to meet with his drug suppliers and send drugs back to Massachusetts for distribution.

Noel Haro also worked with his brother, Marcos Haro, to arrange drug deals outside of prison, prosecutors said.

In June 2022, Marcos Haro agreed to supply a person with samples of multiple narcotics – including fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Marcos Haro later mailed the narcotics to the individual hidden in a purple teddy bear inside a postal package, prosecutors said.

On July 13, 2022, the package was retrieved and found to contain fentanyl, five fentanyl pills, methamphetamine and approximately three grams of black tar heroin.

On July 25, 2022, during a recorded inmate call, Noel Haro and his brother discussed selling one pound of methamphetamine to the same person and agreed on a sale price of $5,000, prosecutors said.

On July 27, 2022, a package sent from Marcos Haro was retrieved and found to contain approximately 446.6 grams of 99% pure methamphetamine.

During a recorded inmate call on Aug. 10, 2022, Noel Haro directed his brother to arrange the sale of five pounds of methamphetamine to the person, prosecutors said.

About a month later, on Sept. 12, 2022, two packages sent from Marcos Haro were retrieved and each contained approximately 892.3 grams of 86% pure methamphetamine and approximately 1,320.2 grams of 95% pure methamphetamine, prosecutors said.

Guyette, who was charged in a separate indictment, was sentenced to 11 years in prison in April after previously pleading guilty to drug trafficking offenses.

Marcos Haro pleaded guilty on March 19. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 17.

“While locked up for life, Noel Haro thought he had nothing more to lose so he used his ‘Get out of Jail Free’ card to solicit help in trafficking deadly fentanyl and methamphetamine across the country, but today’s lengthy prison sentence shows he could not have been more wrong,” Ted Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, said Thursday.

“This case should make it crystal clear to anyone who thinks they can flagrantly violate the law and manage a drug trafficking organization while behind bars,” Docks said. “It’s only a matter of time before you will get caught.”

Department of Correction Commissioner Shawn Jenkins said his agency “remains steadfast in advancing the policies, safety measures, and technology that support our ability to detect and deter illegal activity.”

“This case underscores our commitment to rooting out criminal activity within our facilities and holding accountable those who attempt to undermine the safety and integrity of our institutions,” Jenkins said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2025 Cox Media Group