BOSTON - A Lawrence man was arrested yesterday and charged in federal court in Boston with distributing fentanyl.
Luis Pimentel, 29, was charged with one count of distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Pimentel appeared in federal court yesterday and was ordered detained pending a detention hearing.
According to the complaint unsealed yesterday, in May 2018, federal agents identified Pimentel as a fentanyl distributor in the Lawrence area. During the course of this investigation, agents seized over 160 grams of fentanyl from the defendant.
The charge of distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl carries a minimum mandatory sentence of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew Lelling and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Division, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the complaint are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
